The Forgotten History of Cithers: Uncovering the Medieval and Renaissance Roots of Stringed Instruments

Cithers is a term that was used in the past to refer to a type of stringed instrument that is similar to a guitar or a lute. The word "cither" or "cithern" was used in medieval and Renaissance literature to describe a variety of instruments, including the citole, the cithara, and the cisterne.

The citole, also known as the cithara or the cithern, was a stringed instrument that was popular in Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It had a pear-shaped body and a long neck with four or five pairs of strings. The citole was played with a plectrum (pick) and was used to accompany songs and dances.

The term "cithers" is still used today to refer to any stringed instrument that is similar to a guitar or a lute, but it is not a commonly used word in modern English. Instead, we use words like "guitar," "lute," and "stringed instrument" to describe these types of instruments.