The Music and Art of Our Ancestors

By 40,000 years ago, humans were creating musical instruments and two- and three-dimensional images of the world around them. By 17,000 years ago, they had developed all the major representational techniques including painting, drawing, engraving, sculpture, ceramics, and stenciling. Working on stone, ivory, antler, and occasionally clay, they created imaginative and highly complex works of art.

17 Pins

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

a piece of white marble with writing on it's side, in the shape of a foot

Tata Plaque

This enigmatic object was discovered in Tata, Hungary, at sites where Neanderthals lived. Microscopic analysis shows that the Neanderthal who created this plaque carefully beveled the edge. Remnants of red ocher in surface cracks reveal that color was applied to the plaque. Neanderthals possessed almost all the behaviors of members of our own species (Homo sapiens) who lived around the same time.

a piece of bread with wavy lines on the top and bottom, against a black background

Geometric Incised Bone Rectangle

An incised bone found at a site in Dolní Vĕstonice, Czech Republic.

an animal's bone is shown against a black background

Carved Antler Baton with Horses

A carved antler baton discovered at a site in La Madeleine, Dordogne, France.

two pieces of stone with drawings on them

Apollo 11 Plaque

What kind of animal do you think this charcoal figure represents? Some people believe the hind legs are human. This stone plaque is one of several carried into Apollo 11 Rock Shelter in Namibia where they were discovered in 1969 (when the first spacecraft - Apollo 11 - landed on the moon). Radiocarbon and other dating methods confirm that the cave layer that contained this plaque is between 60,000 and 40,000 years old.

a large rock sitting on top of a black surface

Ancient Pigments

The flattened areas on this hematite pigment are signs of grinding or rubbing, telling us that it was held and used like a chunky crayon. With pigments, our ancestors marked objects and possibly their own skin. Colors were symbols by which they identified themselves and their group.

two pieces of white pottery sitting on top of a black surface with holes in the middle

Oldest Known Shell Beads

These are the world's oldest known shell beads. They were discovered at a site in Skhūl, Israel.

a necklace made out of shells and stones

Cro-Magnon Shell Bead Necklace

This is a reconstruction of a shell bead necklace, including 10 shell beads from Cro-Magnon, France, (bottom part of necklace, in color) and 10 facsimile beads (top part of necklace, in white).

a piece of bread that is on a black surface

Carved Bone Disc

A carved bone disc found at a site in Xiaogushan, China.

three ancient artifacts are displayed on a black background, including an object with holes in the middle

Ancient Shell Beads

These 82,000-year-old Nassarius gibbosulus shell beads were discovered in Grotte des Pigeons, Taforalt, Morocco, more than 40 km (25 mi) from the Mediterranean Sea, where they originated. By 40,000 years ago, humans were transporting decorative shells—and perhaps trading them—over distances of more than 500 km (310 mi).

a piece of metal that has been made to look like a long stick with holes in it

Ancient Flute

This flute is one of the world’s oldest manufactured musical instruments. Two pieces of carved and hollowed-out mammoth ivory were joined together and sealed. The flute had at least three finger holes and played a five-note scale. It was found in Geissenklösterle Cave, Germany.