longated into a
bar or handle. The player grasped a cymbal in each hand, and either
clashed theme together horizontally, or else, holding one cupwise in his
left, brought the other down upon it perpendicularly with his right.
[PLATE CXXX., Fig. 1.]

Two drums are represented on the Assyrian sculptures.

One is a small instrument resembling the _tubbul_, now frequently used
by Eastern dancing girls. The other is of larger size, like the _tubbul_
at top, but descending gradually in the shape of an inverted cone, and
terminating almost in a point at bottom. Both were carried in front,
against the stomach of the player--attached, apparently, to his girdle;
and both were played in the same way, namely, with the fingers of the
open hands on the top. [PLATE CXXX., Fig. 2.]

[Illustration: PLATE 130]

A few instruments carried by musicians are of an anomalous appearance,
and do not admit of identification with any known species. One, which is
borne by a musician in a processional scene belonging to the time of
Sennacherib, resembles in shape a bag turned upside-down. By the manner
in which it is held, we may conjecture that it was a sort of rattle--a
hollow square box of wood or metal, containing stones or other hard
substances which produced a jingling noise when shaken. But the purpose
of the semicircular bow which hangs from the box is difficult to
explain, unless we suppose that it was merely a handle by which to carry
the instrument when not in use. Rattles of different kinds are found
among the musical instruments of Egypt; and one of them consists of a
box with a long handle attached to it. The jingling noise produced by
such instruments may have corresponded to the sound now emitted by the
side-rings of the tambourine.

Another curious-looking instrument occurs in a processional scene of the
time of Asshur-bani-pal, which has been compared to the modern
_santour_, a sort of dulcimer. It consisted (apparently) of a number of
strings, certainly not fewer than ten stretched over a hollow case or
sounding-board. The musician seems to have struck the strings with a
small bar or hammer held in his right hand, while at the same time he
made some use of his left hand in pressing them so as to produce the
right note. It is clear that this instrument must have been suspended
round the neck, though the Assyrian artist has omitted to represent the
belt which kept it in place. [PLATE CXXIX., Fig. 2.]

In addition to all these