The Kithara was the large, lightly constructed wooden lyre performed only by the professional musicians of classical antiquity, which reached its height of perfection during the 5th century BCE. It was traditionally associated with Apollo, the ancient Greek god of music.

It was actually the word 'kithara' from which is derived our modern name for 'guitar'! Indeed, blocking specific strings with the left hand harmonies can be strummed with a plectrum in the right hand - producing a sound strikingly similar to that of the modern guitar.

A kitharode was a classical Greek professional performer of the kithara, who used the kithara to accompany their singing. Kithara contests of virtuosity were common at the Panathenaea: a multi-day ancient Greek festival held annually in Athens. The singing was divided into a men's and a boys' competition. Prizes (gold and silver crowns) for the kithara competitions were over three times as valuable as those for the aulos (double-pipe).

Famous kitharodes included Terpander, Sappho and Arion.
One of the most innovative of the ancient Greek kitharodes in the 5th century BCE was Phrynis of Lesbos. He is credited with extending the range of the kithara from 7 strings to between 9-12 strings. He also invented a twister mechanism (strobilus): analogous to the sharpening levers of a modern harp! Producing a special bending (kampē) of a semitone, this device allowed Phrynis to combine five different harmoniai (Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Lastian and ‘Loose Lydian’) in the same 12-string tuning.

The curvy structures (springs?) beneath the crossbar could be interpreted as part of a hypothetical vibrato/portamento mechanism. However, in the absence of definitive written evidence, or any surviving kithara, most scholars think it is more likely that they had a structural function - providing an equal & opposite reaction to the downward pull of the strings on the crossbar & slender-topped arms of the kithara?

No surviving kithara has so far been discovered but reconstruction is possible thanks to the abundant depictions of the instrument in ancient classical art & pottery. My recreated kithara was based on these ancient illustrations & was handmade in modern Greece by Luthieros:

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For more fascinating information on the kithara of classical antiquity, please also see my website blog:

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