On the Name of an Obscure Musical Instrument: What was the Kabithakanthion?

Abstract

Abstract There is uncertainty about the form and meaning of the word καβιθακάνθιον, the name of a type of aulos instrument mentioned in a Byzantine Greek alchemical treatise. The problem can be resolved if the word is interpreted as a hybrid bilingual compound of Late Latin cauitas (‘hollow’) and Greek ἀκάνθιον (‘little thorn’), meaning ‘hollow little thorn’. Aulos instruments were thought to be ‘hollow’ owing to the internal cavity through which the performer blows in order to produce sound; and ‘little thorn’ may refer to the shape and size of the instrument, being a small slender pipe.