Final answer:
Various percussive instruments such as the sistrum and drums were used during competitions and ceremonies across different cultures, with gourds and marimbas often enhancing the resonance.
Step-by-step explanation:
During competitions and ceremonies, various instruments acted as percussion to provide rhythm and musical accompaniment. One such example from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome is the sistrum, an instrument used in religious rituals to produce a rattling sound. The Olmec civilization played ball games which were sometimes accompanied by music, where the sound of the balls might have added to the percussive elements. In other ceremonies like the Kuba society, drums were standard, often seen in connection to royalty and used during festivals. The resonant sounds of idiophones like gourds and marimbas, with gourds being used as resonance chambers, were also common in musical traditions to amplify the sound.