Levant-region archaeologists have discovered prehistoric flutes believed to be 12,000 years old. The flutes were scattered among a stockpile of 1,100 bird bones and had gone unnoticed since the site’s discovery in 1950.

The flute instruments were discovered at a site called Eynan-Mallaha [also known as Ain Mallaha], located on the shores of Lake Hula in the Huleh Valley of today’s northern Israel. The site is believed to be home to the last hunter-gatherers in the region, says Dr. Laurent Davin, an archaeologist and a post-doctoral fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Flutes of the Natufian People

The Natufian people were a prehistoric group that lived in what is now modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and northern Syria around 12,500 to 9,500 BCE. They were known for their advanced hunting and gathering techniques, as well as their unique cultural practices.

Of the more than half a dozen flutes unearthed, which artisans carved out of the bones of small waterfowl, only one was completely intact; it measured less than 2.6 inches (65 millimeters) in length, according to press reports.

These flutes offer an incredible glimpse into the ancient traditions of the Natufian people living in the Levant during a period of great change. We do not yet understand the purpose of the flutes, but speculations are running wild in cyberspace.

We turn to scientist Davin to learn his thoughts. "The Natufians chose those small bones because they wanted the sound to be like this in order to imitate falcon sounds," Davin said. "This demonstrates their knowledge of acoustics and indicates that there were probably other instruments made of perishable materials."

Scientists replicated the flutes, which revealed a clear understanding among the Natufians that small bones would better represent the sounds of Eurasian sparrowhawks and the Common Kestrel, both members of the birds-of-prey falcon family.

Large bones result in a deeper sound not related to bird calls, and they were not acceptable. To create the replica of the ancient flutes, researchers used the wing bone of a modern-day female mallard.

"These artifacts are really important because they are the only sound instruments clearly identified in the prehistory of the whole Levant and the oldest sound instruments imitating bird calls in the world," Davin said. "They tell us about the [inventiveness] and knowledge of acoustics of the Natufians as well as their technical precision. It also gives us evidence of the Natufians' relationship with the symbolically valued birds of prey, how they communicate with them or how their calls were integrated in Natufian music."

Dr Hamoudi Khalaily of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA)

"If the flutes were used for hunting, then this is the earliest evidence of the use of sound in hunting," said Dr Hamoudi Khalaily of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

Most Bone Flutes Discovered in Europe

Tal Simmons, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Forensic Science at Virginia Commonwealth University’s College of Humanities and Sciences and a co-author of the Scientific Reports paper, identified 1,112 bones from 59 species of birds found at the site.

Her research guided the team's understanding of what time of year the nomadic hunter-gatherers occupied the site and what species' bones were most frequently found there.

"Although bone 'flutes' or 'aerophones' are known from other archaeological sites elsewhere in the world, they are quite rare and have been found mostly in Europe. These are the first to ever be identified from the Near East and date to circa 12,000 years ago," Simmons said. "The flutes actually make the sounds of other birds of prey that were hunted at the site."