User:SophisticatedStick/sandbox

Africa

Southern Africa

The peoples of Southern Africa in the South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia region used bone, clay, and metal for creating instruments, as idiophones and aerophones were the two types of instruments that were made. Spinning disks, bone tubes, and a bullroarer were found in the Southern and Western Capes of South Africa that date back from 2525±85 BP - 1732 AD. There were also many more bone tubes found in the Matjes River which may have been used for flutes, trumpets, whistles, bells, and mbira keys. Numerous mbira keys were found in Zimbabwe that date back to 210±90 BP - Later Iron Age.

Libya

Entrance of Haua Fteah

Excavations in 1969 found a 90-115,000 year old bone flute fragment in the Haua Fteah cave in Libya. It has one manmade punctured hole, which resembles similar bone flutes found in Europe and the Mediterranean such as the Divje Babe Flute. The exact species the bone comes from is unknown, but it seems to come from a large bird.

General Overview of Music

These aren't really going in the article, but they can be used to edit existing parts of it.

Montagu, J. (2017). How music and instruments began: A brief overview of the origin and entire development of music, from its earliest stages. Frontiers in Sociology, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2017.00008

Asks how music began, then answers how music began. Also answers why music began. Information about instrument application is in there.

Killin, A. (2018). The origins of Music. Music & Science, 1, 205920431775197. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059204317751971

Goes through general history of music, showing artifacts and having a timeline. Divided into eras. As well as several regions.

Individual Instruments

Slovenia

Divje Babe flute

A juvenile cave bear femur found in the Divje Babe 1 cave site of the paleolithic era had holes in it reminiscent of a flute, which sparked debate about whether the holes were manmade or from carnivores. It seems that the holes are manmade and the femur works as a flute, which was made by Neanderthals.

France

A one-of-a-kind Upper Paleolithic era Seashell Horn was discovered in the Marsoulas cave in 1931, which is made of a Charonia lampus shell. Dating back to the early Magdalenian period, it was modified to be played as a wind instrument by blowing air through the mouthpiece located at the apex. There are engravings on the inside of the lip, while unclear what the engravings represent, it is clear that they were intentional.

Several Instruments Found in One Region

Austria and Hungary

Clay bells were found in Austria and Hungary which date to the early neolithic period. One is from the Starčevo site in Gellénháza, Hungary, and the other is from the Brunn site located on the outskirts of Vienna which was excavated in 1999. Unlike modern bells these bells lack a clapper. They were suspended by string and most likely struck with wooden sticks or animal bones. Both bells were recreated and played, but neither were loud enough to be used as instruments, which might be why they were destroyed and thrown away.

Vietnam

Two deer antlers were discovered in the Go O Chua site of southern Vietnam which were used as stringed instruments, they are dated to be at minimum 2,000 years old. One discovered in 1997, and the other in 2008. A single string which was attached on both ends of the antler, with the burr of the antler forming a bridge. The instrument is similar in form to a Đàn brố, or a K'ni. These are the first instruments archaeologically discovered in Vietnam.

Several lithophones were also found across the country which would have been laid down on strings with wooden or bamboo frames and struck to make noise.

Israel

The 7 bone flutes found in Eynan-Mallaha

The peoples of Israel had prehistoric bones that were specifically aerophones. Several of these bones were excavated at Eynan-Mallaha and date back to 10,730 and 9760 cal BC. Smaller bird bones were preferred to bigger ones due to the difference in sound, although they are more difficult to play as a result of their size. The pitch of the tone the flutes produce are believed to mimic the call of several birds. It is likely that the flute was used for music and dance rather than hunting, since it is limited by the small range of birds imitated. It is common for birds to be used as an inspiration for music such as the Sun Dance of the Plains Indians in which dancers used whistles to mimic eagles, or the Kaluli people who wore rainforest birds' feathers as ornaments.

Slovakia

A clay egg-shaped rattle, bottle-shaped rattles, and pan pipes made of bone were all discovered in Slovakia. They are dated back to 300-800 AD, during the Migration Period. Music culture in Slovakia had not formed until the 9th century while these instruments go back to 4-6th century AD, so while they cannot be connected to Slovak culture they prove that music had existed in this region at that time. They may have been used for ceremonies, rituals, or cults for dancing and singing to ward off evil spirits or call to the gods for help.