Pair of clappers, about 1550-1292 BCE, 9 9/16 x 3 x 7/16 in. ( x x cm) (each, approx.), Hippopotamus ivory, Egypt, 16th-13th century BCE, These delicately carved forearms, found in a three-thousand-year-old ancient Egyptian tomb, are percussive instruments. Their curved shape and matching growth lines show that they were made from a single hippopotamus tusk, sawed down the middle into two equal pieces. Music was an important part of ceremonies and banquets in ancient Egypt, and the noise of clapping, banging, and rattling was thought to drive away hostile forces.

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Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
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