cboel t1_je3ecim wrote
Reply to comment by nosnevenaes in TIL The oldest musical instrument in the world, a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal flute, is made from the left thighbone of a young cave bear. by gonejahman
It was the equivalent of the newest cellphone of its day. Music in the form of singing, chanting, whistling, etc. had been around long before that instrument was made and it was likely a progressive improvement over something like a large grass or reed stalk.
We don't tend to find those types of things being preserved though in archaeology sites. We know they had to exist due to seeing technologically less advanced peoples in more modern ages being documented making and use them.
A standard mouth whistle that you see referees use at sports events, for example, likely has origins even further back.
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