See Trumpets and Horns in a new light…

Horns and Trumpets of Ancient Europe and the Middle East View Book Contents Subscribe to mailing list

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Book 1: Horns and Trumpets of the European Iron Age

Why are horns and trumpets such an important part of ancient life? How do they breathe and speak to ancient peoples? Why do the same stories of brass pop up everywhere. All the questions and more are answered by Dr Holmes, the acknowledged world expert on ancient brass in this controversial and ever-questioning approach to the world’s most awe-inspiring instruments.

Buy Book 1

Multiple volumes cover the material in various depths.

Book 1

Instruments from the European Iron Age.

Released July 2022.

Book 2

Instruments from the Etruscan, Greek and Roman civilisations.

Releases early 2023.

Book 3

Instruments from late Bronze-Age Europe.

Releases late 2023.

Book 4

Instruments from pre-metal ages in the Middle East.

Releases early 2024.

Online Referencing

60 years of research is referenced on this website - including bibliography and custom made images, all available under a Creative Commons license. Keep checking back - constantly updated.

Bibliography

An A-Z listing of all publications found that are relevant to this work, ranging from 1500s to the present day.

Iconography

References to iconographical representations of instruments held within various museums and institutions around the world.

Documentary References

References to all ancient mentions of instruments in classical and other texts.

Ethnographic References

Listing of all ethnographic objects referenced in this book series.

General References

References that throw light on other aspects of brass instrument usage.

Specimens

Details of all instruments and fragments from the ancient world.

Open Mouthpiece Designer

As a part of our historical research, I have engaged in extensive study of the brass mouthpiece. This has resulted in an innovative online mouthpiece designer allows you to create custom mouthpieces that you can download and print using 3D printing technology.

Try the designer now. Select your instrument and adjust one of 20+ parameters to create your perfect mouthpiece.

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