Among the Romans, the hour of bathing was announced by a bell. Among the ancient Greeks, handbells were used in camps and garrisons and by patrols that went around to visit sentinels. The book of Exodus in the Bible notes that small gold bells were worn as ornaments on the hem of the robe of the high priest in Jerusalem. Roman bells dated to the 1st and 2nd century AD were around 8 inches high. Assyrian bells dated to the 7th century BC were around 4 inches high. īells west of China did not reach the same size until the 2nd millennium AD. The earliest dated iron bell was manufactured in 1079, found in Hubei Province.
After 1000 AD, iron became the most commonly used metal for bells instead of bronze. By the 13th century BC, bells weighing over 150 kg were being cast in China. 1050 BC), they were relegated to subservient functions at Shang and Zhou sites, they are also found as part of the horse-and-chariot gear and as collar-bells of dogs. With the emergence of other kinds of bells during the Shang Dynasty (c. The earliest metal bells, with one found in the Taosi site and four in the Erlitou site, are dated to about 2000 BC. In West Asia, the first bells appear in 1000 BC. The pottery bells later developed into metal bells. Clapper-bells made of pottery have been found in several archaeological sites. The earliest archaeological evidence of bells dates from the 3rd millennium BC, and is traced to the Yangshao culture of Neolithic China. īianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng, dated 433 BC. The study of bells is called campanology. Later, bells were made to commemorate important events or people and have been associated with the concepts of peace and freedom. Historically, bells have been associated with religious rites, and are still used to call communities together for religious services.
Many public or institutional buildings house bells, most commonly as clock bells to sound the hours and quarters. Some small bells such as ornamental bells or cowbells can be made from cast or pressed metal, glass or ceramic, but large bells such as a church, clock and tower bells are normally cast from bell metal.īells intended to be heard over a wide area can range from a single bell hung in a turret or bell-gable, to a musical ensemble such as an English ring of bells, a carillon or a Russian zvon which are tuned to a common scale and installed in a bell tower. The strike may be made by an internal "clapper" or "uvula", an external hammer, or-in small bells-by a small loose sphere enclosed within the body of the bell ( jingle bell).īells are usually cast from bell metal (a type of bronze) for its resonant properties, but can also be made from other hard materials. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. (Bells: Percussion vessels with the vibration weakest near the vertex)Ī bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Parts of a typical tower bell hung for swinging: 1.
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