Complex sentence: These attendants afterwards became the bodyguard of Zeus and the priests of Rhea; their rhythmic, raucous chants and dances were accompanied by the tympanon (a wide, handheld drum) and the clashing of bronze shields and cymbals, to produce a state of religious ecstasy.
Split into simpler sentences: These attendants afterwards became the bodyguard of Zeus and the priests of Rhea. Their rhythmic, raucous chants and dances, accompanied by the tympanon (a wide, handheld drum) and the clashing of bronze shields and cymbals, provoked a state of religious ecstasy.