The Celtic trumpet, the carnyx, was a long, straight tube with a curved horn or 'bell'. Similar trumpets were adopted by the Romans but these Celtic instruments are easily distinguished: they are usually pictured pointing straight overhead, showing off their elaborate flared ends which were shaped like the heads of wild animals - usually wild boars with bristly manes.
Played in groups, they probably performed signalling functions in ceremony and battle. In Roman art the carnyx is shown alongside trophies captured in the Gallic wars.
Made from bronze, and maybe more commonly of wood and horn, they could produce a loud and penetrating tone; the notes they play are those of the harmonic series.
