Une trompe romaine (tuba) à Brie-Comte-Robert (Seine-et-Marne) ?

Abstract

Two copper alloy objects, nested one into the other, were discovered during an archaelogical preventive excavation. One of the objects corresponds to a small decorated cylinder, wherein a tube was followed suit. This one is made from a wound metal sheet. These pieces are part of many metal elements found at the site, whose one of the specialties during the late Antiquity was the recycling of metals. These elements are not the most spectacular of the lot, but they have drawn our attention because of their similarity with roman removable straight horns parts from Neuvy-en-Sullias, Saint-Just-sur-Dive and Pompeii. Although fragmentary and allowing only a modest contribution to music instruments history, these two objects, discovered at Brie-Comte-Robert, are probably the pieces of the fourth copy of this type of musical instrument, ultimately more known by iconography, than archaeological material.

Keywords

• Antiquity
• music
• rural settlement
• straight horn
• Tuba