This tibia has been reproduced from one of several pairs of pipes buried at Pompeii in 79 AD. It was made by Peter Holmes with the help of Martin Sims and Neil ‘Spike’ Melton in a collaboration between the European Music Archaeology Project and Middlesex University. Stefan Hagel measured the original (which survives complete) and is directing this reproduction project.
Three cheers to Peter, Martin and Spike for making an instrument that really works! The precision engineering is spectacular. Its first sounds were heard in Berlin on 23 March 2015:
Stefan used reeds made by Callum Armstrong. Our hostess was Olga Sutkowska and I was behind the camera. We are grateful to the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut for bringing Peter, Stefan, Olga and me together on the eve of a meeting on the future of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology.
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