Anthropologists in Germany are publishing on an ancient flute that dates to 35,000 years ago. It's the oldest such instrument, yet, and supports other musical instrument finds that suggest that human beings have been making music for a very, very long time. Interestingly, a replica of the flute was found to have a "very harmonic" quality. It so happens that the Hohle Fels flute was uncovered in sediments a few feet away from the carved figurine of a busty, nude woman, also around 35,000 years old, noted Dr. Conard and his co-authors, Susanne C. Münzel of Tübingen and Maria Malina of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. That discovery was announced in May by Dr. Conard.
Was this evidence of happy hours after the hunt? Fertility rites or social bonding? The German archaeologists suggested that music in the Stone Age “could have contributed to the maintenance of larger social networks, and thereby perhaps have helped facilitate the demographic and territorial expansion of modern humans.” (source)
Yeah, or maybe they just liked how it made them feel to listen to the surreal musical sounds. Hard to imagine that this wasn't done with some mystical awe!
-t
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