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Rattle loop

Fig. 1 -  Metal sistrum of the chantress Tapenu - Metropolitan Museum of Art - [68.44](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/553814)

Fig. 1 - Metal sistrum of the chantress Tapenu - Metropolitan Museum of Art - 68.44

This is the loop of the sistrum. A sistrum is a rattle that produces a metallic sound. This sound is created by metal rods with disks usually held in the loop of the sistrum, which are placed horizontally in the frame (Fig. 1). L. Manniche, ‘Sistrum’, in D. B. Redford (ed), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (Oxford University Press; Oxford, 2005 On this sistrum there are no metal rods, but the holes meant to hold them are visible.

Sound is created primarily by the vibration of the sistrum itself, without the use of airflow, strings or membranes. Instruments like these (called ‘idiophones’) came from man’s desire to express natural feelings for dance and rhythm, and were inspired by more primitive actions like stamping and clapping.M. Duchesne-Guillemin, ‘Music in Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt’, World Archeology 12 (1981), 288-289.