Discoveries

June 30, 2023

The Mystery of Flutes

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In 1955, archaeologists discovered a number of 12,000-year-old bird bones in northern Israel that contained perforations, puzzling over their purpose.

Now a new study has suggested that they were flutes used by prehistoric humans to hunt for birds in the region, Gizmodo reported.

In their paper, a research team analyzed the remains and found that seven wing bones belonged to coots and teals. A close inspection showed that the perforations were actually tiny holes bored into their sides.

Researchers theorized that the peculiar artifacts were used as flutes to imitate the calls of birds of prey. They would be used to scare migratory birds to take flight, which would then make them easy targets for the ancient hunters.

To test their theory, the team created a replica flute using the mallard bones and generated a series of high-pitched frequencies that mimicked the calls of two birds of prey that were known to inhabit the Neolithic Levant: The Common kestrel and the sparrowhawk.

Co-author Hamudi Khalaily noted that the alleged flutes could be “the earliest evidence of the use of sound in hunting.”

Still, he and his colleagues explained that there is a lot of uncertainty, such as whether the perforated bones were even blown by the ancient inhabitants.

Even if they were, maybe they weren’t used for hunting and served as the earliest musical instruments, they added.

This story originally appeared in the June 30, 2023 newsletter, AI, Meet Europe.