Some flutes about 9,000 years old can still be played.

7000 BC

They were carved from the wing bones of cranes at the Neolithic village of Jiahu in China, where 33 of them have been found.

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The event

• The flutes and brew of Jiahuc. 7000 BC–5700 BC · Henan, China. The Neolithic village of Jiahu yielded 33 flutes made from crane wing bones, up to 9,000 years old and among the oldest playable instruments. Its pottery held traces of a brew of rice, honey and hawthorn, a cross between beer, wine and mead.

Prehistory

More amazing facts

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