Carnyx

The Carnyx was a brass musical instrument used as a psychological weapon of war by the ancient Celts between 300BC and 200AD. The carnyx consisted of a 12 foot long thin bronze tube, bent at right angles at both ends. The lower end terminated in a mouthpiece, and the upper end flared out into a bell which was most often decorated to look like the had of a wild boar. Historians believe it likely had a tongue which would flap up and down increaseing the noise produced by the instrument. The carnyx was played in an upright position so that the boar's head bell protruded well above the heads of the warriors. It's primary purpose was to increase the level of noise and confusion on the battlefield. The Roman historian Diodorus Siculus wrote, "Their trumpets are also of a peculiar and barbaric kind which produce a harsh, reverberating sound suitable to the confusion of battle." Julius Caesar faced them when he invaded Gaul, and Claudius encountered them when he invaded Britain.

The word “carnyx” appears in various classical texts: carnyces are described as being present at the Celtic attack on the Delphi in 279 BC, as well as from Julius Caesar's campaign in Gaul and Claudius' invasion of Britain.