Гость дионисийских вакханалий в Нижнем Поднестровье
Guest of Dionysian Bacchanalia in the Lower Dniester Area

Summary/Abstract: This is the first article to present a full list of the bone musical instruments found in the ancient colony of Nikonion and the Nadlymanskoe hillfort with Hellenic or Hellenised population. The findings underwent a complex source analysis and an interdisciplinary study. It was established that three out of the four given artefacts are segments of a composite bone auloi. Two fragments, made from metacarpal sheep bones, are the outer ends of the instruments and the third one is a mouthpiece. The instrument from Nadlymanskoe hillfort is confirmed to be an end-blown flute. Specifics of the auloi and end-blown flutes manufacturing are discussed, as well as their part in the religious life of the Hellenic settlers in the Lower Dniester region. The Dionysian rites were a characteristic attribute of the religious ceremonial life existing in the Greek colonies throughout the Northern Black Sea area including the Lower Dniester region. Playing aulos was an essential part of these rites. A comprehensive study of the instruments allowed to find their precise analogues and suggest their local origin. The finds broaden the geographical distribution of the early Hellenic bone auloi.

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