Much of what defines western European culture in terms of philosophy, science, and the arts has origins in the culture of ancient Greece. Thus it is with music. Music played an integral role in the lives of ancient Greeks and was almost universally present in society, from marriages and funerals to religious ceremonies, staged dramas, folk music and the ballad-like reciting of the epic poetry of Homer (among others). There are significant fragments of actual Greek musical notation as well as many literary references to ancient Greek music, such that some things can be known—or reasonably surmised—about what the music sounded like, the general role of music in society, the economics of music, the importance of a professional caste of musicians, etc. Even archaeological remains reveal an abundance of depictions on ceramics, for example, of music being performed. The very word music, itself, comes from the muses, the daughters of Zeus and patron goddesses of creative and intellectual endeavours.
