In this excerpt, Nonnus of Panopolis (5th century AD), the most important Greek epic poet of late antiquity, describes the atmosphere of Dionysian worship, where the sound of the double auloi echoes through the mountains. The “mountainous tone” (ouresifitos ktypos) refers to the sound that drifts through the mountains, a wild, natural sound, often associated with the god Pan or the Bacchae.

Double auloi, also known as δίδυμοι (twin) or δίζυγοι (paired) or δίαυλοι, were among the most important wind instruments in antiquity and are frequently depicted in ancient art.  They consist of a pair of separate auloi that the musician (aulist) held simultaneously, one in each hand, and blew into, through the same mouthpiece.

Northern Greece has yielded the two best-preserved examples of double auloi (diauloi). The bone double aulos (Πυ 100) in the photograph date to around 400-380 to 323 BCE and was found in a pit grave in the northern cemetery of Pydna. It was placed near the lips and in contact with the right hand of the deceased and were the only grave offering.

The two sound pipes (βόμβυκες) are remarkably well preserved. Each consists of five articulated sections fitted together and reinforced by a ridge joint, with five finger holes on each pipe. At the upper end -where the aulete or auletris blew- the mouthpiece (όλμος) - a single or double reed, usually made of cane, was attached. The opening and closing of this reed regulated airflow to produce sound.

An earlier example, dating to the Archaic or Early Classical period, was discovered in another pit grave in the cemetery of ancient Akanthos (modern Ierissos) in Chalkidiki. This burial also contained no other grave goods. The absence of additional offerings in both cases suggests a strong link between the deceased and the instrument, supporting the likely identification of these individuals as musicians of modest means.

Double auloi accompanied religious ceremonies, particularly Dionysian rites, as well as sacrifices, processions, dances, athletic contests, theatrical performances, and festivals. They were also used to time the rowers on triremes and the advance of soldiers in battle.

At public events, they were played by male auletes, while at symposia they were performed by female musisians, often slaves or courtesans.

The instrument required considerable skill and offered a wide range of tonal colors. Some scholars suggest that equal-length diauloi were played in unison, while unequal pairs had one pipe carrying the melody and the other accompaniment.  It is also possible that the pipes were played alternately, with one at a higher and the other at a lower pitch. Vase representations show that players used a “phorbeia”, a leather strap fastened around the mouth, cheeks, and back of the head, with an opening at the lips. This restricted puffing of the cheeks and increased air pressure, thereby strengthening the sound. Double auloi were made from bone, horn, reed, or wood, and more rarely from bronze or ivory.

You can see the double pipes from Pydna in the permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, “In Macedonia from the 7th century B.C. to Late Antiquity,” display case 36.