buccina

musical instrument

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 22, 2026

Quick Summary

The buccina was a Roman military trumpet shaped like the letter C. Its name derives from Latin, meaning "to sing" or "to play". This instrument was used for military and ceremonial purposes. The buisine, a medieval trumpet, was a descendant of the buccina and ultimately led to the development of modern trumpets. The term "buccinum" also refers to a genus of marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as whelks, which is derived from the Latin word for trumpet.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

wind instrument
Horns
…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.
Read More
…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.
Read More