The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on June 9 that a new study has discovered that ancestors of modern humans living in the Hula Valley (present-day northern Israel) may have played bird bone flutes to attract prey while hunting.
According to the study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, a team of scientists from Israel, Austria, the United States, and France analyzed several fossilized wing bones of waterfowl found in the Hula Valley. They determined that these specimens were actually flutes made from bone. These flutes date back approximately 12,000 years and could produce sounds that mimic the calls of predatory birds.
Migratory gray cranes at Agmon Hula Lake, Hula Valley, northern Israel. (Illustrative photo: AFP)
Experts noted that these specimens were discovered at the Natufian prehistoric settlement of Ain Mallaha, also known as Eynan—a site where many remnants of round-shaped houses used by hunter-gatherers have been uncovered, along with bones of various animal species revealed in excavations conducted from 1996 to 2005.
After analyzing the aforementioned waterfowl bone fossils, the research team concluded that the marks on seven fossilized wing bones of Eurasian collared doves and Eurasian gulls were small holes drilled into the hollow bone tubes. These artifacts may have been used for musical performance or to attract the attention of waterfowl. They also suggested that this provides clues about the time when prehistoric humans began using sound in hunting.
The research team also created replicas of the specimens and found that each artifact produced different sounds, concluding that they were indeed flutes. Additionally, the sounds emitted from these replicas resembled those of Eurasian sparrows and kestrels, both of which are predatory birds.
According to experts, prehistoric humans could have easily hunted waterfowl using these flutes. The sound of the flute would attract predatory birds, causing them to approach and stir up the flock of waterfowl, making it easier for humans to capture them.
In this way, prehistoric humans could also catch predatory birds while they were confused by the flute sounds, using their talons for decoration and creating new flute sounds.
Moreover, researchers believe that flutes may have also been used to perform various cultural and social functions within prehistoric societies.
