What is the oldest known musical instrument in history?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the discovery of what is claimed to be the oldest known musical instrument, specifically a flute dating back approximately 35,000 years. Participants express their thoughts on prehistoric music and the implications of such a find.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express surprise at the age of the instrument, questioning the authenticity of the find and suggesting it could be a hoax.
  • Others reflect on the implications of discovering a crafted instrument from such an ancient time, noting the unexpected nature of its existence.
  • Participants speculate on the purpose of the holes in the flute, with suggestions that they may have been a mistake or an experimental feature that turned out to produce pleasing sounds.
  • There is a humorous suggestion that the creation of the instrument involved a process of trial and error, leading to the addition of multiple holes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a mix of curiosity and skepticism regarding the discovery, with no consensus on the authenticity of the find or the motivations behind the instrument's design.

Contextual Notes

Participants do not provide detailed evidence or references to support their claims, and there is a lack of clarity on the archaeological context of the flute's discovery.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in prehistoric music, archaeology, and the history of musical instruments may find this discussion relevant.

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Awesome! I'm writing a paper on prehistoric music so this is fairly interesting!
 
moose said:
Awesome! I'm writing a paper on prehistoric music so this is fairly interesting!

I would never have imagined that they would find something that old. The first thing that came to mind was: "its got to be a hoax".
 
edward said:
I would never have imagined that they would find something that old. The first thing that came to mind was: "its got to be a hoax".

Ya I was thinking the same thing... This is really remarkable I never would have thought any kind of crafted instrument existed back then.

What I wonder though is why they ever decided to put holes in it anyways? Probably just a mistake and they thought that it sounded nice?
 
Sorry! said:
Ya I was thinking the same thing... This is really remarkable I never would have thought any kind of crafted instrument existed back then.

What I wonder though is why they ever decided to put holes in it anyways? Probably just a mistake and they thought that it sounded nice?

Someone probably put just one hole in a piece of bone and just got carried away. Thats progress.:biggrin: