A
rhoptron (ρόπτρον, plural: rhoptra) was a special buzzing drum used in Ancient Greece associated with the
Corybantes. According to
Plutarch, it made a frightening sound, resembling a mix of animal noises and lightning, and was used by the
Parthians to scare their opponents in battle instead of the more typical Greek battlefield instruments, the
salpinx or
horn.