Prehistoric Music

Human beings have been making music as far back at least as far back as the Upper Paleolithic period, which lasted from around 40,000 years ago to around 10,000 years ago.

It's impossible to tell  exactly when humans first began to make music. The very first musical instruments may have been the human voice (for singing or whistling), human hands (for clapping), or unmodified natural objects such as rocks (also for percussion). Because these things weren't designed just to make music, we can't tell exactly when people began using them that way.

The Divje Babe flute, which is about 43,000 years old, may be the oldest known musical instrument - which was created specifically to be used as a musical instrument. It was found among Neanderthal remains. The Divje Babe flute is part of the femur of a young cave bear. It has holes that seem to have been bored into it in order to turn it into a flute. However, some scientists say that the holes could have been made by a carnivore.

The oldest object that is clearly a musical instrument is a flute that was found in Hohle Fehls Cave in Germany. It is about 35,000 years old. The Hohle Fehls flute, which has five holes, was made out of the bone from a Vulture's wing.

The oldest known wooden music instruments are six 4,000-year-old wooden flutes that were discovered in Greystones, Ireland.

There are a number of different theories to explain why human beings began to make music. Some say that music was originally a form of "mating call", like birdsong. Charles Darwin believed that music was used in mating.

Another theory is that music began when people started creating rhythmic sounds while working to help them work more efficiently.

Religious rituals may have combined music and art. Bone flutes and bone and ivory "roarers" - instruments that make noises when spun - have been found in painted caves. Sound is often amplified in parts of caves where there are cave paintings, a sign that these places may have been "theaters" where religious ceremonies were performed.