This article is about the musical instrument. For the Mesopotamian god see KusA 'Kus (Persian ??? k?s) is a large-sized ancient Persian kettledrum, similar to a Timpani. Etymology Kus is a Middle-Persian military term meaning, "march". According to Von Mohl the term was K??a, and seemingly, borrowed from Aramaic, probably during the Arsacid dynasty (248 BCE-224 CE).Von Mohl J., (ed. trans.), Firdausi, Le Livre des rois, Paris (1831-68), pp137, 178. Historical Background It seems the instrument was invented during the Achaemenid dynasty (550-330 B.C.E.) of Iran for military purposes. The instrument was a pair of drums, made of clay, wood or metal in the form of a hemispherical kettle, with skin stretched over the mouth of it. Kus was played with drumsticks of leather or wood (The leather drumstick was called Daval). Kus usually was carried on horseback, camelback or

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