"Earliest Bird-call Flutes Discovered in Middle East"

Archaeologists have recreated a 12,000-year-old bone flute discovered in northern Israel, which is believed to have been used to hunt small birds. The flute is the oldest musical instrument found in the Middle East and offers insight into how early humans shifted from hunter-gatherers to more settled communities. The French-Israeli team of archaeologists discovered fragments of seven different flutes, dating to around 10,000 BCE, which is the largest collection of prehistoric sound-producing instruments ever found in the Levant. The recreated flute produces a screeching, breathy whistling sound that could have imitated predator birds, including falcons, which eat small waterfowl.