They find the first prehistoric ‘flutes’, dating back 12,000 years

by time news

2023-06-09 11:00:03

Discovered in 1955, the prehistoric site of Eynan-Mallaha, in northern Israel, has been the source of numerous finds: a man with his dog was found buried there, revealing one of the oldest evidence of domestication of this animal; Numerous embankments have also been found, the custom for burying their dead in this Natufian village, which occupied the place in several waves between 12,000 BC. C. and 9600 a. C. Now, the site has just thrown a new surprise: among the remains they have found a kind of flutes that could be the earliest known examples of wind instruments. The results have just been published in the journal ‘Nature Scientific Reports‘.

Specifically, a Franco-Israeli team has discovered a total of seven instruments in which you can see the artificial holes through which our ancestors blew. This kind of ‘flutes’, made from the bones of a small aquatic bird, produce a sound similar to that of certain birds of prey (Eurasian hawk and common kestrel). In addition, it is believed that the choice of these bones and not others was not by chance: larger birds have also been found at the site, with larger bones that produce deeper sounds.

Who were the Natufians?

The Natufians, the Near Eastern civilization that inhabited this area between 13,000 and 9,700 BC. C., they deliberately selected smaller bones to get the high-pitched sound needed to imitate these particular birds of prey. And it was not something common: the discovery of these aerophones is extremely rare; in fact, they are the first to be discovered in the Middle East.

Regarding its use, the authors consider that it could have been used for hunting, as an artistic expression or even to try to communicate with birds. “It is clear that the Natufians attached special symbolic value to birds, as attested by the numerous claw ornaments found at Eynan-Mallaha,” the researchers explain.

The town, located on the shores of Lake Hula, was home to this civilization throughout its 3,000 years of existence. Therefore, it is of vital importance to reveal the practices and habits of a culture at the crossroads between nomadic and sedentary lifestyles, and the transition from a predatory economy to agriculture.

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