kithara

The kithara, an instrument of the lyre family, had seven strings of equal length and a solidly built, wooden body, usually with a flat base.

The horseshoe-shaped lyre is smaller in size, has two hollow raised arms that are curved and connected near the top by a crossbar. Contrary to the lyre, the kithara has a rectangular shape, the body of the instrument is greater in terms of size and carries luxurious ornaments and bigger arms.

noun. ˈlī(-ə)r. 1. : a stringed instrument of the harp class having an approximately U-shaped frame and used by the ancient Greeks especially to accompany song and recitation (see recitation sense 2)

The aulos was one of the foremost woodwind instruments in ancient Greece; likewise, the kithara was one of the foremost string instruments. They varied in both form and function throughout time and by region.

The Kithara (guitar) was a stringed musical instrument, related to the lyre, played by the ancient Greeks and closely associated with the god Apollo, although in mythology its invention is attributed to Hermes who manufactured the instrument from a tortoise shell (chelys).

The word “guitar” comes from the ancient Greek kithara. Greek stringed instruments were divided into two types, the kithara and the lyra: both looked like lyres to us, but they were physically different and had different social roles.

In early Greek times the rhapsōdoi, or epic singers, accompanied themselves on the kithara, and the phorminx of Homer was probably a form of that instrument. Later the kithara was the lyre of the kitharōdoi, or professional player-singers. Latinized, it became the principal stringed instrument of the Romans.

Also called a "harp guitar".

The number of strings on instruments of this period ranged between six and 12. The ancient Greeks knew two different types of lyre - the cithara (or kithara, in Greek) and the lyra.

The myth symbolizes the constant battle between the Apollonian and the Dionysian nature of a man. Aulos was the basic instrument in all the festivities in Ancient Greece especially in ceremonies that happened in the name of god Dionysus.

Greek stringed instruments were divided into two types, the kithara and the lyra: both looked like lyres to us, but they were physically different and had different social roles.

We do have scenes on vases depicting music lessons given on the kithara. The instrument was played during religious festivals, and soloists (κιθαρῳδόι ´κιθαρισταί) competed for recognition and prizes in music competition (αγών) during the 5th-4th centuries BC.