Revista Analele Banatului S.N. Arheologie-Istorie

Remus M. Feraru

Muzica în ritualurile religioase. Considerații cu privire la muzica cultică isiacă în coloniile milesiene din Propontida și de la Pontul Euxin / Music in religious rituals. Considerations regarding Isiac cultic music in the Milesian settlements of Propontis and the Black Sea

1 Ianuarie 2022

Abstract

Our study focuses on Isiac cult music in the Milesian settlements located on the shores of the Propontis and the Pontus Euxinus. More specifically, this study aims to address the role and significance of music in Isiac cults, particularly in the cults of Isis and Sarapis, as well as the musical instruments that provide the musical ambiance during Isiac ceremonies (festivals, processions, and rituals). Our research is based on a series of literary sources from the Roman era that devote considerable space to describing the musical setting of the festivals celebrated in honor of Isis; namely the writings of Martial (40-103 AD), Apuleius (125-170 AD), and Ausonius (310-395). Isiac cults integrated music as an essential element in rituals and celebrations. Documents attest to the use of instruments specific to the cult of Isis, namely the sistrum, harp, flute (tibia), fistula (syrinx), and tambourine (tympanon). However, Isiac processions were not only instrumental; choirs of singers were also an integral part of them. Isiac cult music was perceived as a means of communication between humans and gods, having a divine essence. This music, marked by the use of the sistrum, harp, oblique flute, and fistula, was integrated into festive processions, such as the Navigium Isidis, which celebrated the reopening of navigation and the rebirth of nature. Music, through choirs and instruments, created an atmosphere of cosmic harmony, reflecting the vitality and fertility associated with Isis. The sistrum, a sacred symbol of the cult, was used by initiates, regardless of gender or social status, highlighting the inclusive nature of the Isiac cult. The music accompanying the Isiac liturgical cycle was polysemic in nature, being adapted to the various cultic contexts in which the Isiac deities were celebrated. For example, the music used in the various cult contexts honoring Isis, the main deity of Egyptian origin, seems to vary depending on the hypostasis under which the goddess was celebrated. Thus, when the goddess was honored as the protector of the dead during funeral ceremonies, the music was imbued with sadness. It encouraged the mourning process and invoked Isis to protect the deceased. On the other hand, when Isis was worshipped as the goddess of life, fertility, and navigation—as in the case of the Navigium Isidis festival—the music had a festive dimension that aroused joy. In short, the music and dance practiced in the Milesian colonies of Propontis and Pontus Euxinus were not only forms of artistic expression, but also essential components of religious, social, and cultural life, reflecting a deep connection between man, nature, and the divine.