Hear the sound of an ancient conch horn, played again after 18,000 years
The unique Palaeolithic instrument was found in a cave rich in rock art, and was marked with red pigment that matches the paintings.
Researchers have identified the earliest known conch shell horn adapted by humans and have heard it played for the first time in 18,000 years, according to a new study published in the open-access journal Science Advances.
Discovered in Marsoulas Cave, France, where the walls are rich in rock art, the conch horn provides a rare insight into the
The Art Newspaper
February 10, 2021
© Carole Fritz et al. 2021 / drawing: Gilles Tosello
sounds that once reverberated around this sacred space, and probably held an important social or ritual meaning to the local Upper Palaeolithic population. When archaeologists first uncovered it in 1931, the conch was described as an “exceptional discovery” but was regarded as a cup. Now, using photogrammetry and CT-scans to study the conch’s surface and internal structure, researchers have shown that it was modified to produce sounds.
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