groggyMPLS t1_je5l7jp wrote on March 29, 2023 at 4:02 PM

”Musical experiments confirmed findings of archaeological research that the size and the position of the holes cannot be accidental – they were made with the intention of musical expression.”

I hate statements like this. Of course it could have been accidental. Insanely unlikely, but why sound stupid by saying there’s zero chance some cave man made four holes in a bone that just happened to be on the right scale for making musical notes.

GeorgeOlduvai t1_je7pxft wrote on March 30, 2023 at 12:37 AM

It is unlikely to the point where it can be considered a non-zero chance happening. In other words, it's more likely for it to have been found by a Neanderthal with the holes already in it than to have had the holes accidentally placed correctly to function as an instrument.