Washington: A large conch shell overlooked in a museum for decades is now thought to be the oldest known seashell instrument - and it still works, producing a deep, plaintive bleat, like a foghorn from the distant past.
The shell was found during the 1931 excavation of a cave with prehistoric wall paintings in the French Pyrenees and assumed to be a ceremonial drinking cup. Archaeologists from the University of Toulouse recently took a fresh look and determined it had been modified thousands of years ago to serve as a wind instrument. They invited a French horn player to play it.
A large conch shell that had been languishing in a museum for decades has been revealed as the oldest known seashell instrument after archaeologists examined it more closely and realized belatedly what they’d been looking at.
The conch shell was discovered in 1931 in Marsoulas Cave in the French Pyrenees. Back then, researchers assumed it was used as a ceremonial cup and it has spent 90.
A large conch shell overlooked in a museum for decades is now thought to be the oldest known seashell instrument and it still works, producing a deep, plaintive bleat, like a foghorn from the dista…