Music has been around ever since the dawn of time. Different types/genres of music have been created to accompany different situations during time. One of the first instruments created was the ancient bone flute. The bone flute was used for ceremonial reasons. Archaeologists have found an ancient bone flute that is forty- thousand years old and was made out of a vulture bone. The ancient bone flute was discovered in southern Germany, according to the study, led by archaeologist Nicholas Conard of the University of Tübingen in Germany. The bone flute has five finger holes and a V-shaped mouthpiece, its almost a complete bird-bone flute made from the naturally hollow wing bone of a griffon vulture is just 0.3 inch (8 millimeters) wide and was originally about 13 inches (34 centimeters) long.
The mammoth-ivory flutes would have been especially challenging to make the archaeologists said. Using only stone tools, the flute maker would have had to split a section of curved ivory along its natural grain. The two halves would then have been hollowed out, carved, and fitted together with an airtight seal. Music may have been one of the cultural accomplishments that gave the first European modern-human (Homo sapiens) settlers an advantage over their now extinct Neanderthal-human (Homo neanderthalis) cousins, according to the archaeologists. The ancient flutes are evidence for an early musical tradition that likely helped modern humans communicate and form tighter social bonds, the researchers argue.
The mammoth-ivory flutes would have been especially challenging to make the archaeologists said. Using only stone tools, the flute maker would have had to split a section of curved ivory along its natural grain. The two halves would then have been hollowed out, carved, and fitted together with an airtight seal. Music may have been one of the cultural accomplishments that gave the first European modern-human (Homo sapiens) settlers an advantage over their now extinct Neanderthal-human (Homo neanderthalis) cousins, according to the archaeologists. The ancient flutes are evidence for an early musical tradition that likely helped modern humans communicate and form tighter social bonds, the researchers argue. 
The Hohle Fels flute is more complete and appears slightly older than bone and ivory fragments from seven other flutes recovered in southern German caves and documented by Conard and his colleagues in recent years. Another flute excavated in Austria is believed to be 19,000 years old, and a group of 22 flutes found in the French Pyrenees mountains has been dated at up to 30,000 years ago. Conard's team excavated the flute in September 2008, the same month they recovered six ivory fragments from the Hohle Fels cave that form a female figurine they believe is the oldest known sculpture of the human form.Together, the flute and the figure found in the same layer of sediment suggest that modern humans had established an advanced culture in Europe 35,000 years ago, said Wil Roebroeks, an archaeologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands who didn't participate in Conard's study. Roebroeks said it's difficult to say how cognitively and socially advanced these people were. But the physical trappings of their lives including musical instruments, personal decorations and figurative art match the objects we associate with modern human behavior, Roebroeks said. In conclusion the ancient bone flute was the first musical instrument ever discovered. It was found in southern Germany and is the oldest instrument ever found.
Jon,
ReplyDeleteGood content in your post. This is a nice examination of various ancient bone-flutes. However, the post is lacking photos of the various instruments and links to your sources about these ancient flutes. This will be reflected in your grade for now. We will discuss ways you can improve your post on Tuesday.
Mr. Allder