Where were Bagpipes first invented?
Nobody really knows. The ancestral instrument clearly came from one of the ancient Mediterranean civilizations, probably before 100 BC, and was carried throughout Europe by the Romans. The earliest examples consist of just the “chanter” portion, possibly with a companion “drone” tube, which was often played by the technique of “circular breathing” to maintain a constant tone. At some point, some unknown person got the idea that this could be made easier by attaching the chanter to a bag with a blowpipe. Various forms of pipes were played throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, until modern orchestral instruments started to displace some of the older traditional instruments about the time of the Renaissance. However the Bagpipe continued to be played in rural and more isolated regions to this day.
