English: An incomplete copper alloy Jews harp of probable Post-Medieval date (AD 1500 – AD 1800). Length 63.0mm, width of head 27.0mm and 6.0mm maximum thickness at the apex of the head. Weight 17.25g.

The lyre-shaped instrument is symmetrical in plan. It has a circular head and tapering arms both of which are characteristically lozenge-shaped in cross-section. The outer diameter of the head is 27.0mm. At the apex, on the front face, is a rabbet (about 3mm in width) to accommodate the tongue which is now missing. The tongue was probably made of iron. However, there is no iron staining within or around the rabbet. The arms are 4.0mm in width at their junction with the head and their width is about 3.0mm at the other end.

The instrument is in fair condition although most of the patina is lost. The surviving patina has traces of oblique grooves which might be the result of filing, although these marks are not evident on the reddish coloured metal where the patina has not survived.

Geoff Egan of The Museum of London has commented on Medieval jews harps:

The jew’s harp, or trump, is an ancient folk instrument with a wide geographical distribution. It is indigenous to South-east Asia, and was certainly introduced to Europe by the time of the Crusades…The European jew’s harp, familiar today, is made of metal, usually iron, and the tongue is a separate component hammered into a rabbet in the thickest part of the frame. At its other end the tongue is bent into a prong, but this rarely survives in archaeological contexts. In play, the instrument is held in one hand and the frame is lightly supported between the player’s teeth, while the metal tongue is plucked with the fingers on the other hand. The mouth cavity acts as a resonator and the pitch is modified by the position of the lips, tongue and cheeks (Egan, G. 1998.”The Medieval Household Daily Living c. 1150 - c. 1450”. 284. London: The Stationery Office.

Similar examples are illustrated in Bailey, G, 1993, ‘Detector Finds 2’, 76-7, refs. 4-6. Bailey (page 76) suggests that these examples date to the eighteenth century.

See also:

Elliston-Erwood, F. C. 1944. "Notes on Bronze Objects from Shooters Hill, Kent and Elsewhere and on the Antiquity of the Jew's Harp". Archaeologia Cantiana. 34-40. Kent Archaeological Society.