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A conch shell found during the excavation of a cave with prehistoric wall paintings in France is believed to be the oldest known seashell instrument - and it still works.
The large shell was discovered in 1931 during the uncovering of the cave in the French Pyrenees, and was assumed to be a ceremonial drinking cup.
After sitting in a museum for decades, researchers took a fresh look and determined it had been modified thousands of years ago to become a wind instrument.
They invited a French horn player to play it, producing a deep, plaintive sound like a foghorn from the distant past.
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.
The horn was found in Marsoulas cave that isn t located near an ocean, so prehistoric people either moved around a lot or used trading networks to get it.