an ancient instrument of the castanet kind, and which, by some writers, has erroneously been supposed to be the same with the sistrum. The crotalum consisted of two little plates of metal, and sometimes of two shells, or was formed of a piece of reed split lengthwise; and these were held in the hand and shaken so as to produce a rattling noise.

Female dancers who used the crotalum were termed crotalistriae. Aristophanes uses the word crotalum metaphorically, to signify a great talker.

Clemens Alexandrinus attributes the invention to the Sicilians, and forbids the use of it among Christians, on account of the indecent gestures with which it was accompanied.