A 17,000-year-old conch shell makes some music 

The World

An ancient conch shell thought to be a drinking vessel has now been determined to be a musical instrument, the earliest known conch shell horn. The 17,000-year-old conch shell was originally discovered in 1931 in the cave of Marsoulas, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. But a closer look showed that the shell was actually a very early wind instrument. Marco Werman speaks with Gilles Tosello, part of the team at the Research and Study Center for Prehistoric Art at MSHS Toulouse who made the discovery.

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