Dolphin discovers 200-year-old ceramic trumpet – History

A rare ceramic trumpet found in Dolphin in Upper Bavaria was reassembled from eight fragments. The trumpet is now almost complete, only missing the mouthpiece and a small piece of the bell mouth.

Due to its structure, the instrument has a length of just under 44 cm and resembles the shape of a metal trumpet. However, the Dove trumpet is a so-called natural trumpet, meaning an instrument without valves or keys, in which the different notes are produced solely by the tension of the lips.

The horn was discovered during excavations in the moat near one of the town’s gates in 2022. This section of the moat was used by the tannery industry to process animal skins into leather. The industry was notorious for the stench, caustic tanning agents and toxic by-products it produced, so the tanneries were located in a remote part of town. The speakers may not be used to play music, but rather as an emergency alarm system to warn about fires and other dangers.

Artifacts found in the same archaeological layer date it to the late 18th or early 19th century, an unexpectedly later date than the few other ceramic trumpets found in excavations. They usually date from the late Middle Ages or early modern period. The glaze and structure of the Dolphin trumpet also differ from earlier finds, making it a unique example.

“The discovery of the Dolphin ceramic trumpet is a blessing for the conservation of archaeological monuments,” said Mathias Pfeil, director of the Bavarian State Office for the Protection of Historic Monuments (BLfD). This delicate instrument made of brittle materials has been almost completely preserved, Pfeil explains: “It can greatly help people understand more about the manufacturing techniques and uses of such instruments, because the clay trumpet is a rare archaeological find in Bavaria and Germany.”