IMAGE: Rebuild the instrument being played. In the background is a red dotted buffalo adorning the walls of Marsoulas Cave; a similar motif adorns the instrument. view more
Credit: © Carole Fritz et al. 2021 / photo: Gilles Tosello
Almost 80 years after its discovery, a giant shell from Marsoulas’ decorated Cave in the Pyrenees was studied by a multidisciplinary team from the CNRS, the Muséum de Toulouse, the Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès and the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques-Chirac (1): is believed to be the oldest wind instrument of its kind. Scientists reveal how it is in a study published in the journal Advances in science on 10 February 2021.
The Cave of Marsoulas, between Haute-Garonne and Ariège, was the first decorated cave found in the Pyrenees. Discovered in 1897, the cave bears witness to the beginnings of Magdalenian culture (2) in this area, at the end of the last glacial phase. In an inventory of the material from the archaeological excavations, mostly housed in the Muséum de Toulouse, scientists studied the large shell of Charonia lampas (sea snails), which were observed to largely when it was discovered in 1931.
The top of the shell is broken, creating an opening with a diameter of 3.5 cm. Since this is the hardest part of the shell, it is clear that the fracture is not unintentional. At the other end, the opening of the shell shows signs of retouching (cutting) and a tomographic scan has revealed that one of the first cocks is broken. Finally, the shell is decorated with a red pigment (hematite), which is typical of Marsoulas Cave, which reflects its status as a symbol.
To test the idea that this conch was used to make sounds, scientists found help from a horn player, which found three sounds near the C, C-pointed and D notes. irregular and covered with organic coating (3), the researchers assume that oral congestion was also associated, as is the case for newer conches in a collection of the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac . 3D observations of the conch allow this lead to be examined and determined if it can be used to make other notes.
The first carbon-14 excavation in the cave, made of a piece of charcoal and a fragment of bear bone from the same archaeological level as the shell, took a date of about 18,000 years. This makes Marsoulas conch the oldest wind instrument of its kind: to date, only leaves have been found in previous Upper Palaeolithic European contexts; the conches found outside Europe are much newer.
As well as immersing us in the sounds made by our Magdalenian ancestors, this shell reinforces the idea of exchanges between the Pyrenees and the Atlantic coast, more than 200 kilometers away.
###
Further information:
– Listen to the conch sound of Marsoulas: https: /
– See the 3D model: https: /
Notes
(1) The laboratories involved are the Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les culture, les espaces et les sociétés (CNRS / Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès / Ministère de la Culture), na Maison des sciences de l’homme et de la société de Toulouse (CNRS / Université Fédérale de Toulouse) agus an Laboratoire d’archéologie moléculaire et structurale (CNRS / Sorbonne Université).
(2) Covering a period between about 21,000 and 14,000 BP years, it is characterized by animal bones and antlers and extensive exchange networks. The most famous examples are Altamira and Lascaux Caves.
(3) Because the size is limited, analyzes have not been able to identify its nature.
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! they are not responsible for the accuracy of press releases posted to EurekAlert! by sending institutions or for using any information through the EurekAlert system.