Collaborative degree programmes at UCT | University of Cape Town uct.ac.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from uct.ac.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Alongside the shell were cave paintings also dating back 18,000 years which was proof of ancient humans occupancy of the cave.
The purpose of the ancient shell was unknown at the time and has been homed in the Muséum de Toulouse ever since.
However, archaeologists from the University of Tolouse have taken a fresh look at the shell, and determined that it was actually an instrument.
Experts were fearful of using the instrument in case they damaged the precious artefact.
Archaeology news: Listen to the sounds of 18,000-year-old music from a sea shell (Image: Carole Fritz et al. 2021 / drawing: Gilles Tosello)