dbo:abstract
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- The Parthian Empire, a major state of ancient Iran, lasted from 247 BCE to 224 CE, in which music played a prominent role. Compared to their Western rival, the Roman Empire, much less is known about the Parthians, but information on music can be gathered from a few Parthian texts, accounts from Greek and Roman writers, some archeological evidence, and a variety of visual sources. The last of these are usually from either the archeological sites and former settlements of Hatra or Nisa, and include terracotta plaques, reliefs and illustrations on drinking horns known as rhytons (or rhutas). Music played a role in many aspects of Parthian life, being used in festivals, weddings, education, warfare and other social gatherings. Surviving artistic records indicate that it involved both men and women, who could be instrumentalists or singers. Harps, lyres and small trumpets, which had a long history in Persia, remained in use, in addition to both single and double reed wind instruments, such as the panpipes (syrinx), transverse flute and the aulos, as well as string instruments such as the kithara, lute and tanbur. Along with the music of the Achaemenids, Medians and Assyrians, Parthian music was crucial in laying the foundation for the golden age of subsequent Sasanian music. (en)
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rdfs:comment
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- The Parthian Empire, a major state of ancient Iran, lasted from 247 BCE to 224 CE, in which music played a prominent role. Compared to their Western rival, the Roman Empire, much less is known about the Parthians, but information on music can be gathered from a few Parthian texts, accounts from Greek and Roman writers, some archeological evidence, and a variety of visual sources. The last of these are usually from either the archeological sites and former settlements of Hatra or Nisa, and include terracotta plaques, reliefs and illustrations on drinking horns known as rhytons (or rhutas). Music played a role in many aspects of Parthian life, being used in festivals, weddings, education, warfare and other social gatherings. Surviving artistic records indicate that it involved both men and w (en)
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