h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I love the way you bring it all together.

Do you really think only wealthier groups had those flutes, though?

Do they look as if making them required lots of skill and thus was considered precious?

Well if they've found eight of them, they must have been fairly common. I don't think there is a lot of skill involved in hollowing out a bone, and the holes look as if they are evenly spaced, which means anybody could have made one.

That's what I thought, so it wasn't maybe a question of wealth after all.

You're probably right. I wrote that whole article in one go without stopping and without re-reading it, so I don't remember now why I said "in the wealthier groups". I'm used to thinking of musical instruments as things which only some people have.

Oh, you might still be right in so far as maybe only the better-off people could afford to sit down and be 'lazy'.

Ever thought whether they could have been used as a means of communication, like drums or Alp horns?

I wonder would they be loud enough.

I don't know. Maybe they were useful during a hunt?

Anyway, it's fascinating to wonder about them and their use.

Gnomon, have you read 'The Clan of the Cave Bear' by Jean Auel? The story centres around the lifestyle of a Neaderthal group and an orphaned Homo sapiens girl who grows up with them. It's a fascinating read.

No, I haven't read it, although Mrs G has.

Fascinating article, Gnomon.

So, why do we think that Prehistoric Man played recreational music on these bone flutes, rather than, say, using them for religious ceremonies?

I don't know. Somehow I think that primitive man hadn't yet invented religion at that point.

It's interesting to think which of those two came first!

As long as children have asked why the sky is blue and people have trembled at the sound of thunder, there have been stories made up in answer. As long as women have had monthly cycles and the miracle of birth has been a mystery, there have been stories made up about the gods and their influence on luck and misfortune.
Even my cats have religion. They worship the big hairy thing that brings them food.