12,000-year-old flutes made of bone that mimic the sound of a falcon have been found

Scientists have found 12,000-year-old flutes that mimic the sound of birds of prey, made by the ancient Natufian people at an archaeological site in Israel

A collection of 12,000-year-old flutes made from bird bones has been found by archaeologists at prehistoric sites in Israel. The instruments mimic the sounds of birds of prey and were allegedly used in hunting by the ancient humans who made them, whose culture he placed a high value on flying creatures.

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The meeting place of Stone Age artifacts it’s called Eynan-Mallaha, or Ain Mallaha, and was once occupied by the Natufians, the last group of hunter-gatherers in the Levant region, which hugs the eastern Mediterranean Sea. A study detailing the discovery was published in the journal Scientific reports last Friday (9).

Prehistoric music and archaeological surprises

The Ain Mallaha site has been studied by researchers since the 1950s, but it still managed to surprise the scientists, who only found the musical instruments when they investigated a pile of some 1,100 bird bones. More than a dozen flutes have been found, all carved from the bones of small waterfowl such as ducks or geese. Only one was fully intact, measuring about 65mm.

to the website living scienceone of the authors of the research, Laurent Davin, told al ancient artifacts they are probably the smallest known prehistoric musical instruments. Residues of ocher indicate that they were probably painted red, and signs of wear on some parts indicate that they would have been attached to threads and also used as decoration or to facilitate transportation.

When played, the flutes made a sound similar to that of European falcons (accipiter nisus) and Eurasian kestrel (Tinunculus falcon), the latter belonging to the falcon family. The Natufians were very methodical in their choice of bones, as if they had chosen a larger size, the sounds produced would have been more serious.

The purpose was deliberately to imitate the sounds of falcons, which demonstrates the Natufians’ knowledge of acoustics and indicates that they likely would have built other instruments from perishable materials.

To hear how the flutes sounded, the scientists created replicas based on computer simulations, performing spectral analyzes of the sounds down to 3D printed tools produce something similar to the cries of birds of prey. Davin says he was moved when he first played the flute and heard the sound the Natufians made 12,000 years ago.

It is believed that the ancients used aerophones when hunting, to create music or even to communicate with birds. They greatly appreciated these animals, as can be seen from the analysis of the various ornaments made with bird claws also discovered in the archaeological site.

The artifacts are the only clearly identified musical instruments from the prehistoric Levant and the world’s oldest mimicking bird sounds. In addition to displaying the inventiveness and knowledge of the Natufians, the flutes also display their technical precision. While incredible, they aren’t, however, the world’s oldest musical instruments: That record belongs to a 60,000-year-old flute made by Neanderthals, found in a cave in Slovenia.

Source: Scientific reports, living science, National Museum of Slovenia

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Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.