The chelys or chelus (Greek: χέλυς, Latin: testudo, both meaning "turtle" or "tortoise") was a stringed musical instrument, the common lyre of the ancient Greeks, which had a convex back of tortoiseshell or of wood shaped like the shell.

This was the tortoise-shell lyre, alighter, more simply built instrument whose shape essentially follows that of the box-lyre. It made its first appearance in the Bronze Age, is found in Greek art early in the Archaic Period, and appears in literature about a century later, by which time it had become a common instrument in the Greek world.

Dec 16, 2012 · The lyre was closely related to the other stringed instruments: the chelys which was made from a tortoise shell, the four-stringed phorminx, and the seven-stringed kithara. Apollo and Orpheus were the most famous lyre players.

LUTHIEROS Lyre of Hermes has 7 strings, and it can be considered as a base instrument for anyone willing to learn how to play it, as many top players and lyre instructors use 7-strings lyres for their courses. A 9-string version is also available, giving a chromatic range of a full octave.

Used in classical Athens, the Chelys-Lyra is a lyre consisting of a tortoise-shell sound compartment with skin stretched over the opening. Two bars with a crossbar attached extend from the shell and hold the strings.

Since the "first" lyre, then, was made from a tortoise shell, the term chelys came to mean the lyre. There is some confusion about the term "lyra" in literature, since it appears in early Greek poetry (Sappho, Alcman) and fifth century tragedy as a generic word for "lyre."

Oct 25, 2024 · This is my first attempt at building an ancient Greek lyre called a chelys. A chelys uses a turtle or tortoise shell for the resonator behind the strings. I built it using maple for the body parts (limbs, pegs, bridge).

May 1, 2012 · The Greek tortoise-shell lyre (Chelys) was first depicted on hydriai (water pots) dated from the late 8th century B.C [1]. The instrument’s name is derived from the ancient Greek word for tortoise, “chelys”, since the carapace or shell of a tortoise was used in the construction of its sound box [2]. However, the words lyre and Chelys have ...

The chelys is often linked with the myth of Hermes, who, in some versions of the myth, is credited with creating the first lyre using a tortoise shell. After discovering the shell, Hermes fashioned the instrument and, in turn, presented it to Apollo, who later became its divine patron.

Jun 25, 2020 · A spontaneous improvisation, on my magnificent recreation, of the tortoise shell lyre of Classical Greece - custom made for me in modern Greece, by Luthieros: http://www.luthieros.com Unlike...