Buccina

The Roman version of the animal horn was the buccina, which was originally an ox’s horn, sometimes supplied with a mouthpiece. Although ostensibly the buccina was a shepherd’s instrument, it had a bronze counterpart that was suitably decorated for use in the Roman army.

The buccina was similar to the cornu, except that it had a slightly smaller bore and a more flared bell opening at the end. The buccina was used to signal changes of watch during the night, wake up calls and for announcing mealtimes. Buccina players were not as high ranking as the soldiers who played tuba/trumpet or cornu - in addition to their musical responsibilities they also had to dig graves and cut wood.

Buccina played by a buccinator, ancient brass instrument bent in C shape used in the antique Roman army to call a watch or to summon soldiers.