Hopewell panpipe, music, art, and expression : an exploration of music in hopewell culture
File(s)
Date
2013Author
Reis, Robert Lawrence
Advisor(s)
Tiffany, Joseph
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Copper played an important symbolic role in the Hopewell Interaction Sphere, and was used in a number of ritual items, ranging from effigies to panpipes. The role of panpipes in Hopewell is not clear; panpipes have only been recovered from mortuary contexts, and we have little to no knowledge of their living context. I report on my experimental effort to recreate a Hopewell panpipe. My methods include a thorough review of archaeological site reports, and taking a series of measurements on Hopewell panpipes based on archaeological data. These data and measurements resulted in the creation of a series of panpipes in the Hopewellian style, using materials that were readily available to the Hopewell or closely mirror those materials. My reconstruction creates a basic instrument that can be used for comparison with archaeological remains, and to achieve a better understanding of how Hopewell panpipes were made, what materials were used, and the by-products created by their manufacture.
Subject
Copper
Hopewell culture.
Excavations (Archaeology)