What is the sound of two tusks clapping? Carved from a hippopotamus tusk, this pair of human hands was designed as a musical instrument, an ancestor of the modern claves. Clapped together as a rhythm instrument, the tusks would have accompanied an Egyptian orchestra of harps, pipes, lyres, and lutes. The noise of the clappers helped drive away hostile spirits, keeping celebrations joyful.
Not all clappers are carved in the shape of hands. Many are decorated with images of Hathor, a multitasking ancient goddess. The goddess of joy, love, birth, and rebirth, she was also the patroness of music and dance, protector of women and children, and physically, the “hand” of the Egyptian god of creation, Atum—as Eve sprang from Adam’s rib, Hathor sprang from Atum’s hand.
This intricately carved bracelet is reminiscent of those worn by ancient Egyptian dancers in lively celebrations full of music. Dancers often played clappers, either by hitting them together like modern-day claves or by holding two in their hands like castanets. In fact, clappers were so closely associated with dancing that the hieroglyphic symbol for dance contains a clapper, and the rhythm of the music is embodied in a glyph meaning “palpitation of the heart.”
The curved shape and matching growth lines show that these two clappers were made from a single, rather large hippopotamus tusk, sawn down the middle. Hippos were once abundant in the Nile River, and the use of their ivory reflects their importance to the ancient Egyptians.