Sistrum
Musical instrument / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A sistrum (plural: sistra or (in Latin) sīstra;[1] from the Greek σεῖστρον seistron of the same meaning; literally "that which is being shaken", from σείειν seiein, "to shake"[2][3][4]) is a musical instrument of the percussion family, a form of rattle, used most notably by the ancient Egyptians. It consists of a handle and a U-shaped metal frame, made of brass or bronze and ranging from 30 to 76 cm (12–30 in) in width. The frame supports sliding metal cross-bars, which may hold metal rings. When shaken, the small rings or loops of thin metal on its movable crossbars produce a sound that can vary from a soft clank to a loud jangling. Its name in the ancient Egyptian language was sekhem (sḫm)[citation needed] or sesheshet (sššt) because of the sound it made when it rattled.[nb 1] The ancient Egyptian sistrum had important associations with religious and ritualistic practices concerning various musical and joyful deities.[5]
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A sekhem is the simpler, hoop-like sistrum,[citation needed] while sesheshet (an onomatopoeic word) is the naos-shaped one.[6]
The English language has adopted the name sistrum to refer to modern-day West-African disc-rattle instruments.[7][8]