An ancient Greek wind instrument with two parallel reeds that produced a loud, piercing sound used in religious ceremonies, theater, and celebrations.
From Ancient Greek aulos, possibly related to Sanskrit avani (reed). The instrument was central to Greek culture for over a thousand years, and the word was borrowed into Latin as 'aulos' and eventually into English.
The aulos was so iconic that ancient Greeks believed Athena invented it, then threw it away because playing it made her face ugly—yet it remained one of their most important instruments! Recent archaeological evidence suggests it could produce surprisingly complex musical scales.
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