The aulos (plural: auloi; Ancient Greek: αὐλός, aulós; plural: αὐλοί, auloí) or Latin: tibia was a wind instrument used in ancient Greece. It appears in ancient art and has been found in archaeological evidence.

Although the word "aulos" is sometimes translated as "flute" or "double flute," the instrument typically had two reeds that vibrated to create sound. Its sound was described as loud and intense, similar to modern woodwind instruments like the oboe or bagpipes, which have a main pipe and a secondary pipe that produces a continuous sound.

A person who played the aulos was called an aulete (Ancient Greek: αὐλητής, aulētḗs). In ancient Rome, the equivalent term was tibicen (plural: tibicines), derived from the Latin word tibia, meaning "pipe" or "aulos." The term aulode is sometimes used to describe an aulos player, similar to how "rhapsode" or "citharode" describe performers of other instruments. However, aulode more often refers to a singer who accompanied music played on the aulos.

Background

There were several types of aulos, which could be single or double. The most common type was a reed instrument. Ancient discoveries, artwork, and other evidence show that it had two reeds, like the modern oboe, but with a larger mouthpiece, similar to the Armenian duduk. A single pipe without a reed was called the monaulos (from the Greek word monos, meaning "single"). A single pipe held horizontally, like a modern flute, was called the plagiaulos (from the Greek word plagios, meaning "sideways"). A pipe with a bag to allow continuous sound, like a bagpipe, was called the askaulos (from the Greek word askos, meaning "wineskin").

The aulos was used for martial music, like the Great Highland Bagpipe, but it was more often shown in other social settings. A regular flute would not produce enough sound for military use, but the double reed could be heard clearly over long distances and loud noises, such as soldiers marching in armor. It was commonly used to accompany passionate elegiac poetry. It also played during physical activities like wrestling matches, the broad jump, the discus throw, and to set the rhythm for rowing on triremes. It was also used during sacrifices and dramas. Plato connected the aulos to religious groups that celebrated with music, such as the cults of Dionysus and the Korybantes. He banned it in his Republic but allowed it in his Laws.

Musicians who played the aulos used a tool called the Phorbeia or Capistrum. This device had two straps. One strap was placed on top of the head, and the other was placed on the back of the head, stretching from ear to ear to support the cheeks. It helped musicians play the aulos by allowing them to use circular breathing and keep the instrument steady. It may also have prevented the reeds from falling into the player’s throat. Another possible use was to hold the lips in place, reducing strain on the lip muscles.

Although wealthy people sometimes played the aulos, like the lyre, after the fifth century, the aulos was mainly played by professional musicians, often slaves. These musicians could still become famous. A writer named Lucian wrote about aulos playing in his story Harmonides. In this story, a musician named Timotheus, who played the aulos for Alexander the Great, advises his student, Harmonides, to impress other skilled musicians rather than seek fame in public. Lucian also mentions that Harmonides died from overexertion while practicing the aulos.

Mythic origin

In ancient myths, Marsyas, a satyr, was said to have either invented the aulos or found it after Athena discarded it because it made her cheeks puff out and harmed her appearance. Regardless, Marsyas challenged Apollo to a musical contest, with the winner allowed to "do whatever he wanted" to the loser. Marsyas expected this to involve something sexual, which was typical for a satyr. However, Apollo, playing the lyre, won the contest against Marsyas and his aulos.

Marsyas’s blood and the tears of the Muses formed the river Marsyas in Asia Minor.

This story served as a warning about the dangers of "hubris," or excessive pride, because Marsyas believed he could defeat a god. Although the tale is strange and harsh, it reflects many cultural conflicts the Greeks explored through the differences between the lyre and the aulos, such as freedom versus control, leisurely amateurs versus professionals, and moderation versus excess. Some of these ideas come from interpretations made in the 19th century, such as the contrast between Apollo (representing reason) and Dionysus (representing madness), or the lyre (kithara) versus the aulos. In the temple to Apollo at Delphi, there was also a shrine to Dionysus, and his followers, the Maenads, are sometimes shown playing the aulos on drinking cups. However, Dionysus is also sometimes depicted holding a kithara or lyre. This means modern interpretations of these symbols can be more complex than simple opposites.

These differences were mostly seen in Athens. In Thebes, a city known for aulos music, the situation may have been different. In Sparta, where there were no Bacchic or Korybantic religious traditions to contrast the aulos, it was actually linked to Apollo and used by soldiers during battle.

Depiction in art

The battle scene on the Chigi vase shows a musician playing an aulos to create a musical beat for the hoplite phalanx to move forward. This music helped keep the soldiers in a tight group, and the aulete played an important role in keeping the formation strong. In this scene, the phalanx coming from the left is not ready and has fewer soldiers—four instead of five. More soldiers can be seen running to help them from behind. Even though the front group is missing one soldier, they have an advantage because the aulete is there to help the group stay together.

An amphora from around 540–530 BC shows Herakles in the middle of completing his tenth labor. On the neck of the amphora, auletes can be seen playing music as part of a procession.

• Herakles tenth labor
• Neck of Herakles' tenth labor amphora
• Geryon side of Herakles' tenth labor
• Neck of Geryon side of Herakles' tenth labor amphora

Modern use and popular culture

The Ancient Instruments Sound/Timbre Reconstruction Application (ASTRA) project is using computers to recreate the sounds of the aulos. This process involves a method called physical modeling synthesis, which copies the way the aulos makes sound. Because this task is very complex, the ASTRA project uses grid computing, which means many computers across Europe work together at the same time to model the sounds.

The aulos is part of the Lost Sounds Orchestra, which includes other ancient instruments. ASTRA has recreated the sounds of these instruments, such as the epigonion, the salpinx, the barbiton, and the syrinx.

The aulos appeared in the 2009 movie Agora, where a character plays a solo in an amphitheater. It is also shown in the 2007 movie 300.

Some double flutes still exist in Southeastern Europe. In southern Albania, a double non-free aerophone called the cula diare or cyla dyjare is still played in the Labëria region to accompany Albanian iso-polyphony. Some people believe this instrument has a shared history with the aulos. However, these instruments are fipple flutes, not double-reeded like the aulos from ancient times.

Gallery

• Marble sculpture of a person playing an aulos, from the Cycladic civilization, around 2600 BCE
• Attic red-figure column-krater made by the Hephaistos Painter, from around 450 to 425 BCE, showing a hetaira playing the aulos during a symposium with two men holding lyres, Eskenazi Museum of Art
• Greek Red-figure Ceramic Calyx Crater, 440–430 BCE, depicting a girl dancing to the sound of an aulos
• Iberian high-relief sculpture from Osuna, a Greek settlement in the Iberian Peninsula, dating 225–175 BCE, showing a woman playing an aulos. It is part of the Sculptures of Osuna
• Aulos instruments made of bone, Archäologisches Museum Thessaloniki
• A male figure playing an aulos, Southern theatre at Jerash
• A woman playing an aulos, Southern theatre at Jerash
• Hellenistic depiction of an aulos, from Gandhara, 1st–3rd centuries BCE
• Modern 19th-century artwork by Theodoros Rallis