[WorldUrbanLegend] Seikilos Epitaph
The Epitaph of Seikilos or Song of Seikilos refers to an inscription found on a pillar discovered in the ancient Greek city of Tralles. This inscription was found in 1883 by Scottish archaeologist Sir William Ramsay near the city of Aydın, close to Ephesus in present-day Turkey, and it came from the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Tralles. The inscription contains a song with lyrics and musical notation in the ancient Greek musical notation system.
It is believed that the inscription dates back to the 1st or 2nd century AD. The significance of this inscription in epigraphy is that it contains the oldest surviving complete musical composition. The composer is not explicitly mentioned, but it is suggested that Seikilos, whose name appears on the inscription, might have composed the song.
After the inscription was excavated, it was not properly cared for and was lost for a time, but it was rediscovered during the Turkish War of Independence at the port of Smyrna (present-day Izmir). In 1966, it was transported to the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen, where it has been on display ever since.
The inscription includes an introduction, the musical notation, and the name of the person who left the inscription. The introduction reads, "I am a stone and a figure. Seikilos placed me here as a symbol of eternal remembrance." Below the musical notation, there is the phrase "Seikilos, Euterpe," which could refer to Euterpe, the Muse of Music, or possibly to Seikilos' wife or mother. This suggests that Seikilos might have composed the song after experiencing the death of a loved one and reflecting on the meaning of life.
The musical notation is short but has been preserved in a complete form. The Epitaph of Seikilos is the oldest surviving musical score in the world, composed using the ancient Greek musical notation system, and it is believed to have been written in the 1st or 2nd century AD. This piece is one of the few examples of ancient Greek music that has survived in written form. In ancient Greece, various types of music were used, and the Greek letter-based musical notation system was developed around the 3rd to 4th century BC. However, since most people learned music by ear rather than reading notation, surviving written music is extremely rare.
Other ancient Greek compositions that have survived in musical notation include the Delphic Hymn, which dates back to 128 BC and is inscribed on a stone from the Temple of Delphi.
