Kus
A Kus (Persian کوس kūs) is a large-sized ancient Persian kettledrum, similar to a timpani.
Etymology
Kus is a Middle-Persian military term meaning, "march". According to Von Mohl the term was Kūša, and seemingly, borrowed from Aramaic, probably during the Arsacid dynasty (248 BCE-224 CE).
Historical background
It seems the instrument was invented during the Achaemenid dynasty (550-330 BCE) of Iran for military purposes.
The instrument was a pair of drums, made of clay, wood or metal in the form of a hemispherical kettle, with skin stretched over the mouth of it. Kus was played with drumsticks of leather or wood (The leather drumstick was called Daval). Kus usually was carried on horseback, camelback or elephant during the wars to encourage the army. The instrument was also played in many occasions such as festivals, weddings and decamping.
In ancient times, Kus was accompaniment by Karnay (Persian trumpet or horn). Particularly the Persian epic poets Ferdowsi and Nizami for describing the war fields have mentioned to Kus and Karnay in number of entries. Many Persian miniatures paintings show the presence and importance of the Kus and Karnay in the war fields.
Kus (disambiguation)
Kus may refer to:
See also
Kus, Kashar
Kus is a village in the former municipality of Kashar in Tirana County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Tirana.
