If the conch fishery . This is a seashell with a hole drilled in it. Traditionally, blowing the conch in Tonga was made through a hole opened at its end point or by the side of the conch but there was no mouth piece attached. The conch, which gets its name from the ear's resemblance to a conch shell, is the inner cup part of your ear. Lyssa`s Darkwood Piccolo. For the first time in more than 17,000 years, three mellifluous musical notes - close in tone to C, D, and C sharp - have reverberated from a conch shell modified to serve as a wind instrument. Brownish material at this opening may be adhesive applied to secure a mouthpiece. Marsoulas is a small cave and this is a very large conch, Conkey says. Thomas Silvia from Massachusetts on February 17, 2011: Hi AliciaC, very interesting hub and loved the video to ! While other seashell horns have been found in places like New Zealand and Peru, none are as old as this conch. When a conch shell is obtained, it must be cleaned before it can be used to produce music. Concept art of a conch player in Marsoulas Cave. Theres compelling evidence that the shell was modified by humans to be a sound-producing instrument.. 3dRose Vintage Japanese Geisha Holding a Conch Shell Horn in Old Japan - Ornaments (orn-246518-1), Mr.Power 12 Holes Ocarina Alto C Flute Occarina Taps Blue Ceramic/Clay stl Orcarina Inspired of Time With Bag and Song Book, Gift for Beginners, Zelda Fans, Musical Instruments, 432 Hz Walnut Flute F# - Handmade for Heart Chakra, Abhimantrit Dakshinavarti Shankh White Valampuri Sangu Pooja Shank Original Right Hand Lakshmi Conch Rare for Worship Hindu Religious - Natural Horn Abhishek Shankh Shell Sangu 1.5"inch (4 Centimetre, ALIWINER White Coral Statue Faux Resin Coral Reef Sculpture Nautical Tabletop Decoration for Beach Theme Party Shop Window Display DIY Crafts Birthday Gift 7.5", iTrends Edampuri Sangu Real Natural Rare Conch Sea Shell for Hindu Religious Pooja, Triple Double Open Stacked Septum Conch Ring, Wall decoration dream catcher home decoration gift. Rinse it under cool water and rub the shell to remove any additional dirt. Conch shells have an additional allure, however. The smoothed outer lip would have made the conch easier to hold, and the broken apex and adjacent hole would have allowed a mouthpiece possibly the hollow bone of a bird to be inserted . [4] In Tibet it is known as dung-dkar or dungkar. G. Tosello The sound is magical. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. A musician controlled The scientists couldn't drill . . Conch is a delicacy that's enjoyed across the Florida Keys, as well as the Caribbean Islands. The addition of a mouthpiece, he added, would likely expand the instruments range. Thanks! "Percussion Instruments in Two Compositions by Carlos Chvez: "Steve Turre Sounds the Trumpet: Ah, Make that Trombone and Conch," by Bob Blumenthal, Musical Instrument Design: Practical Information for Instrument Making, "Some Remarks on the Austronesian Background of Malagasy Music", Steve Turre's Sanctified Shells Band, from allaboutjazz.com, 2003-04-10, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Masterclass with Steve Turre: Making Music with Shells, "Sea Trumpets" for software samplers Kontakt or Sforzando, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Conch_(instrument)&oldid=1124273719, Articles with MusicBrainz instrument identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 November 2022, at 03:53. The creator of theaccessory, Tuifonualava Kaivelata, said the mouthpiece played an important role in the conch blowing performance. You will receive the exact shell show in pics of this listing. (The paintings in the cave were discovered in 1897, Walter says, and described in the 1932 article in Nature.) Researchers worked with a horn player to verify their hypothesis that the shell was used to produce sounds, with the musician able to make sounds close to the notes C, C-sharp and D. The fact that the opening is irregular and covered with an organic coating led researchers to think that a mouthpiece would have originally been attached. Paleolithic music could have been part of rituals or ceremonies held within the caves. The cone snail, like most snails, is slow. $45.99 (10% off) FREE shipping. I think the sound of a blown conch shell is beautiful and haunting when created by a skillful musician. Inquiries By RNZ.co.nz I'm very glad that the art of playing conch trumpets hasn't been lost. The Otuangaofa arrived in Auckland in September 2022 and was expected to return to the kingdom last October. Hi, CMHypno. The queen conch is a long-lived animal. The Triton shell, also known as "Triton's trumpet" Charonia tritonis, is used as a trumpet in Melanesian and Polynesian culture, and also in Korea and Japan. The shell material in the centre of the mouthpiece is removed. The animal can reach a length of one foot and a weight of five pounds. To make this conch shell trumpet, a Huastec artist cut or filed the top of the shell to create a mouthpiece. I love the sound of a conch being blown at the start of a ceremony. Some other large sea snails are known as conchs, too. However, its attack is swift and potent. I needed a lot of air to maintain the sound, said Jean-Michel Court, who performed the demonstration and is also a musicologist at the University of Toulouse. The researchers wonder if the strange acoustics were once used as a form of sensory manipulation to create a particular mental and emotional state in the temple visitors. Southwest of the Guili Plains, and just south of Yaoguang Shoal is a long stretch of beach littered with Starconch. ", "I'm super happy about it," Conard adds, "because it's kind of lonely having all these flutes that we've got from our sites and there's not too much to compare it to.". The researchers said that no one had noticed that the shell had been modified to create a wind instrument. But some researchers have now concluded something different--the shell, which has been sitting in a museum for decades, was actually modified in sophisticated ways that could help it produce music. Initially, composer Jerry Goldsmith used the conch during a scene depicting the extraterrestrial environment of a derelict spaceship. hide caption. One of these is the giant horse conch, which is the state shell of Florida. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. These eerie sounds may have once captivated music lovers of the prehistoric Magdalenian culture that lived near Marsoulas Cave, a rich archaeological site in the French Pyrenees decorated with ornate rock paintings. A horn made from a conch shell over 17,000 years ago has blasted . Shells of sea creatures have fascinated humans for a long time. It has a soft body that can retract into its hard and protective shell. Playing this conch in a cave could be very loud and impressive.. The manta ray glides, ghostlike, out of the ocean's inky depths and belly rolls into the pool of light beneath our waa (canoe), its mouthy grin wide as it inhales a banquet of plankton. The presence of mouthpieces on other conch shells from around the world adds weight to this interpretation, said Gilles Tosello, co-author of the study and archeologist at the University of Toulouse. Conch shell flute with mouthpiece (HORAGAI) Ancient times, it was utilized in Buddhism and the battlefield as one for blowing.. . 7.5 inch Bracelet Unisex. Researchers say that a conch trumpet played in the Chaco Canyon in New Mexico (a cultural centre for pre-Columbia people) would have been heard almost 1.5 kilometres away. The shell's pointy end was opened up to insert a mouthpiece. [11][12], In Malta the instrument is called a bronja, colloquially known as tronga. They were made from conch or triton shells, and made a loud sound which carried long distances when blown. Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on March 02, 2011: Very interesting subject. The shell material in the centre of the mouthpiece is removed. Quechua (Inca descendants) and Warao still use the conch.[7]. The mouthpiece would likely make it easier to blow air into the conch, because in its current state, it is uncomfortable for the players to hold their lips around the conch opening, Walter says. The player may also modify the pitch by putting a hand into the aperture, or opening, of the shell. But the conch is the oldest example of a shell-based wind instrument, according to the study. Measuring size is here. They immediately noticed that some parts of its shell looked peculiar. One person has been hospitalised with moderate injuries. Oops, looks like you forgot something. The temple is located at Chavn de Huantar, a ceremonial and religious centre that played an important role in the lives of the Chavn people. A Queen Conch (Aliger gigas). Close examination of the conch also revealed that it was decorated in faded red pigment, suggesting that it was a prestige object in addition to a musical instrument. The first tip-off for the team was that the apex of the shell, which is the pointed end that serves as the mouthpiece for most conch instruments, was broken. The shape of the shell body is oblong or oblong with a protuberance in the middle, which tapers at each end. There are playable conch shells in the musical instrument section of Amazon. You can see it is attractive and it makes the conch shell looks fancy. He blew a twisted conch trumpet to either calm the waves or increase their strength. Thank you for your kind comment. Now I am in love with its sound as played by jazz trumpeter Steve Turre. The meat, raw or cooked, ranges from snow-white to a pale, golden-orange, depending on size. Anyone can read what you share. | The tip of the sea snail (Charonia lampas) shell is broken, forming an opening 1.4 inches in diameter. The ability of a conch to produce a haunting sound has been known for a long time. I loved the videos, so informativeyou certainly put a lot of work into this Hub, thanks for the enjoyment and knowledge you've given us. H. Zell, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 License. We've been anchored, bobbing in the darkness, for about two minutes before the first hhlua (manta ray) appears.. Download Free PDF View PDF. The next step in making a trumpet is to remove the top section of the spire from the cleaned shell, which is usually done with a hacksaw. Thats the most robust part of the shell, and its unlikely that such a fracture would have occurred naturally. An artist's rendition of the conch of Marsoulas being played in a cave where it was found by researchers in the early 20th Century. In the caves, "it's often cold, it's often dark, there's water dripping, you have echoes, people have lamps made of stone with some animal fat burning, so there's a flicker and smoke," says Adler. Like other members of its family, the queen conch moves with the aid of its modified operculum. They divest conch of their shells, limb by limb, tentacle by tentacle, until at last each holds a smooth . Wooden, bamboo, or metal mouthpieces may be inserted into the end of the shell. Like land snails, sea snails belong to the phylum Mollusca. Lister's Conch Shell - Strombus Listeri Lister's Conch is found in the Bay of Bengal and the N.W. The queen conch belongs to the family Strombidae and is therefore considered to be a true conch. If I found an empty shell, though, I would definitely pick it up, as I often do with other seashells that I find. Wedding Celabration Hierlooms. C. Fritz, Musum d'Histoire naturelle de Toulouse. She describes the findings as a terrific example of the archaeological research and reasoning that deepens the interpretation of the lives and customs of prehistoric humans. Its an extremely rare example of a seashell horn from the Paleolithic period, the team concluded. Still, the ancient conch shell is a unique find. 97. . We'll have to have 'Hands up' like at school." . The shell of Charonia lampas recovered from the Marsoulas cave in the Pyrenees of France. Jeweler's files for expanding the hole and for finishing work. Harvesting these shells is now illegal throughout the state. Probably because it is one of the most unexpected.. Unlike the giant horse conch, it's a vegetarian. Exotic Artisan Handcrafted Natural Trumpet Shell Carved Viper Snake Tsavorite eyes! Lightning Welk Shells: These beauties grow up to 16 inches long Cockle Shells: This is a common Florida shell, but can be rare in other parts of the world. (1997). Australia appears to be the only country in Oceania where conch shells were not used as a musical instrument, despite the widespread availability of shells. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The shell of a sea snail is modified, with a hole at one end, and when blown it creates a loud noise. Pttara (shell trumpet) Pttara were used to communicate over distances and were treasured as heirlooms by chiefly families. Conch has a sweet, slightly smoky flavor, similar to abalone or clam, and an almost crunchy texture. The shells are still blown in Fijian resorts as a performance for tourists. hide caption. Panuco, Veracruz, Mexico. Queen conch was once found in high numbers in the Florida Keys but, due to a collapse in conch fisheries in the 1970s, it is now illegal to commercially or recreationally harvest queen conch in that state. That's exactly what the team wants to do at some pointsound the shell inside the Marsoulas cave, next to the bison painting. Shop Wayfair for the best conch net art. Dr. Fritz said it was incredible to hear Dr. Court play the conch. When blown, the sound heard from the conch shell is said to be symbolic of the sacred 'Om' sound and Vishnu, who's always portrayed holding it in his right hand, is the god of sound. Clean any dirt or debris off of the shell. Once you have chosen a . It was wonderful hearing the conch shells being played and I found that BBC video to be well worth the time in watching. In Ancient Greek mythology, Triton was a god of the ocean. Year 3: They have grown in length and developed a thick shell . Huastec conch shell trumpet, AD 900-1500. An 18,000-year-old conch shell originally found in the Pyrenees mountains in 1931 may have been used as a musical instrument by Magdalenian people Of the new cases, 3429 were reinfections. The beautiful conch shell trumpet above was found in Mexico, and is estimated to be over 1,000 years old. I have no idea about their quality, though, so you'd have to read the reviews carefully. The Tongan government will look at the Dubai-based Validus after the New Zealand Financial Market Authority put a temporary ban on the promotion of the company's multi-level marketing scheme. What's more, a musician who was invited to blow into the shell was able to produce three notes that were close in tone to today's C, D, and C sharp. To read about rock art discovered in Brittany after the Magdalenian period, go to "Late Paleolithic Masterpieces. Lute of the Gypsy Princess. They play a useful role in the ocean ecosystem. S0urce: Amazon . 2: opening of the apex by destruction of the first six spires. Year 2: They emerge from the sand, but are extra vulnerable to predators, like turtles and sharks. [10], Austronesian settlers to the island of Madagascar brought along their conch shell which eventually became the antsiva (in the west coast) or bankora which was blown customarily as part of ceremonies such as circumcisions and funerals. Once the tip of the spire is removed, the broken surface of the shell is filed or smoothed with sandpaper so that it doesnt cut the players lips. Dr Kaili said he knew about Kaivelatas works to revive the old Tongan instruments and he supported him. Listen to the sound of an 18,000-year-old musical instrument. It might seem that the sounds produced by a conch shell must be very limited because of the absence of keys or valves. Instruments like drums or rattles made of perishable materials like leather or wood wouldn't persist in the archaeological record, he says. It would also have been a beautiful sight, the researchers suggest, because the conch is decorated with red dots now faded that match the markings found on the caves walls. SPONSORED. The shells are use . Suddenly, it was as if time had been abolished, a return of 18 millennia in a few seconds! he said. It was discovered in the Pyrenees in 1931. ", Snacking in the Colosseum, Japanese tomb statue, Attila the Huns motives, 300,000-year-old fur coats, and Egyptian crocodiles in the afterlife, (c) A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, Paleolithic Musicians May Have Played Conch Shell Horn, TOULOUSE, FRANCEGizmodo reports that a new analysis of a conch shell discovered in southern Frances Marsoulas Cave in 1931 suggests it was played as a musical instrument, and not used as a ceremonial drinking vessel, as had been previously thought. He's an American jazz musician and trombonist who is an expert conch trumpet player. The shells are often used as wind instruments. These people had a very material and symbolic world, Conkey says. They feast on fish, marine worms, or even other snails if food is scarce, according to the . Karen Wilton from Australia on February 22, 2011: Many of the South Pacific islanders use the conch shell as a trumpet to welcome visitors or begin ceremonies. The Queen Conch Strombus gigas was, and sometimes still is, used as a trumpet in the West Indies and other parts of the Caribbean. However, the people that made it didn't necessarily use the shell to make what we think of as music, Tosello told CNN. Fox Shell Horn Conch $40.00. The petitioner failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt that MP Piveni Piukala allegedly committed five instances of bribery contrary to section 21 (1) (a) of the Bribery Act. The tip is the toughest part of the shell, researchers said in a press release, so the break is not accidental. Its scientific name is Triplofusus giganteus (or Pleuroploca gigantea). Fighting Conch Shells: These are commonly found on Florida beaches. . Finding similar marks on the conch shell, says Tosello, makes this the first time that scientists have established a strong symbolic connection between cave paintings and music. I would never kill a conch in order to obtain its shell. Its music hadnt been heard by human ears for many millenniums, which made the experience particularly moving, she said. They speculated that the cave's past occupants had used the shell as a ceremonial cup for shared drinks, and that a hole in its tip was just accidental damage. Start by soaking the shell in water to loosen any dirt, and then mix equal parts bleach and water together. True conchs are vegetarian, but the horse conch is a predator. Your purchases help youth music programs get the gear they need to make music. It's been brought many tens of kilometers from the sea to make it to the cave where it was discovered," says Nicholas Conard, an archaeologist at the University of Tbingen in Germany known for his work on prehistoric flutes. All species possess a conical, spiral shell. Bag size is here. They made bone needles and clothing, and exchanged things and made pigments, she explainsand they carried their belongings with them on their journeys. It is traditionally a cre Add to Cart. (SOUNDBITE OF SHELL NOTES) Its beautiful to think about the possibility of using it in the cave, he says. Description of the Conch. Lute of the Howler. He was 73. The temple at Chavn de Huantar contains numerous narrow and twisting passages as well as staircases that form maze-like patterns. The mollusks most related to this term . The end of the spire is removed and then the player blows air into the shell through the hole. a type of gourd and shell megaphone from West Africa, consisting of a dried gourd with beads woven into a net covering the gourd. A drill. Thanks for sharing this! Linda Crampton (author) from British Columbia, Canada on August 23, 2015: Hi, Logan. In Ancient Maya art, such conches were often decorated with ancestral images; scenes painted on vases show hunters and hunting deities blowing the conch trumpet. The larvae eventually undergo metamorphosis and become adults (if they aren't eaten by predators). The shells are played at ceremonies and in jazz. . There just wasn't enough material to tell what it was, Walter says. A conch shell's shape and size are the byproducts of food waste excretions from the animal inside. From now through until 10am on Saturday people the region can expect 150 to 200mm of rain about the ranges and also away from the ranges north of Hastings By RNZ.co.nz You can collect Starconch starting from the north end of the beach heading south. CMHypno from Other Side of the Sun on February 23, 2011: Interesting information, Alicia. Of the deaths being reported today, one was from Northland, seven were from the Auckland region, four were from Waikato, Truck and tools disappear, money misspent says MP as he calls for Auditors investigation, Rugby great who helped defeat Australia was a household name for Tongan football fans, Former Health Minister takes up international position, vows to be global advocate for nurses, Bribery verdict: Case not proved beyond reasonable doubt, Supreme Court acquits MP Piveni Piukala, Tongan journalist found courage when facing the Kings fury, Family sought shelter in basement after shots fired at Grey Lynn house, Tongan ferry told to stay out of New Zealand waters because it posed biosecurity threat, 25yo man arrested after allegedly kidnapping woman in Gisborne, Tonga government takes aim at Validus after New Zealand ban: Justice Minister, Several people injured at West Auckland home, armed police attend, New weather warnings for flood-hit regions, Cyclone-hit Pacific workers well cared for but worried about work, Man in court after Police raid black market selling alcohol in Nukualofa, Penitiketo Uhatafe gets home detention after killing partner with one slap at Auckland party, Covid-19 update: 8220 new cases, 24 deaths and 162 in hospital. On the sandy beaches in the Turks and Caicos, bivalves such as cockle (especially the glossy white egg cockle), scallop, wing, ark and lucine shells are the most common finds. The Tongatapu 4 MP Mateni Tapueluelu has called for an audit of the Constituencys Council Office, claiming that equipment had gone missing and money had been misused. Major nutrients. Image: G. Tosello. I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. $5.55. This shell might have been played during ceremonies or used to summon gatherings, said Julien Tardieu, another Toulouse researcher who studies sound perception. This instrument is common throughout many island nations and oceanside countries. It also contains ventilation shafts. Cookie Policy Sounding a horn-like instrument inside the cave with good acoustics likely produced a powerful feeling. Over-fishing of the species is becoming a serious problem. What does one do to make the inner rim diameter match the conch . Police said they were called to the scene on Claverdon Drive, Massey just before 4am. Image:C. Fritz, G. Tosello, Musum d'Histoire naturelle de Toulouse. I Add to Cart. Watch this gear and we'll notify you if it becomes available again. Curious how the conch would sound today, the team consulted a professional horn player. Bravissimo! Advertising Notice This makes the shell the oldest wind instrument of its type. "Then I'll give him the conch. Conch shell trumpets were historically used throughout Oceania,[2] in countries such as Fiji. [11] It was also incorporated into Merina royal regalia exclusively blown by male slaves to herald a royal's arrival, signalling mourning in time of death or even to mark battles. Hon. I like conch shells also because they are so beautiful to look at! . [13][14], Carlos Chvez substitutes a conch for the trombone in his 1940 piece Xochipilli. Free postage. From fried Conch to Conch Fritters, or even the unique Bahman Conch Salad, this tropical marine Mollusk is a one-of-a-kind seafood treat. Two fishermen from the coral island of Anegada sit in a metal boat. It is a complex technical operation with the flint tools available to the Magdalenians, Tosello said of the drilling modification. All of these modifications were intentional, the researchers believe. Most of the mollusks including queen conch belongs to class Gastropoda and the name was translated from Latin as stomach foot. British Virgin Islands. Moreover, artistically, that red dot style was strikingly similar to the large image of a bison that the Magdalenian artists had painted on the caves wall. . Two views of a Triton's trumpet, or Charonia tritonis, MerlinCharon, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain image. Thanks for your comment. Jeremy Montagu. She was worried that the ancient conch may incur some damage, because it was an original shell and we didnt know how the shell would react. But the wind instrument performed well, releasing three sounds close to the notes C, C-sharp and D. And the sound was truly amazing, Fritz says. According to Hindu mythology, the conch shell is a revered and sacred emblem of the Hindu god Vishnu, known as the Preserver. The Fijians also used the conch shell when the chief died: the chief's body would be brought down a special path and the conch would be played until the chief's body reached the end of the path. Enjoy Free Shipping on most stuff, even big stuff. Lute. The conch is one of the eight auspicious symbols at the feet of Lord Buddha. Conklin, Dorothy Rice. Based on your location, we've changed your settings: By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. Walters lab ran a battery of tests to determine what else the conch could be. People on the research team who were placed at different points in the corridors couldn't tell where a sound was coming from and were confused. CT scans of the shell revealed two internal holes that could also have been used to secure a mouthpiece. The surface of the shell is often green and furry due to the growth of algae. Shingon Buddhist priests practice a ritual known as homa, which sometimes includes beating drums and blowing horagai. Qty. If you are a fan of oldies, you might be interested in an evocative track that just dropped from prehistoric times. However, director Ridley Scott was so impressed by the eerie effect that he requested its use throughout the rest of the score, including during the main titles.[21]. In the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna blew the conch shell to announce the start and end of battles. Shells of different sizes and shapes are used for their different pitch possibilities and tonal qualities. A scan of the shell's interior revealed that two holes had been drilled in spots that would allow a tube to come straight down from the mouthpiece to the inside. I would like to put a mouthpiece rim on the hole of the conch for easier playability. 1300-1450 C.E. These playable shells are decorated and crafted for musical use with well-formed mouthpieces created by cutting the small end (spire) off and grinding/polishing the resulting opening. They are very attractive objects. The conch's shell expands as it grows, until it reaches about 4 years old - where it reaches its mature size. Its difficult to study cave art without cultural context., Dr. Fritz and her colleagues started by assembling a three-dimensional digital model of the conch. The moon snail climbs on top of the conch and drills a hole in its shell, reaching the soft parts inside. The archaeologists who found it 80 years ago had presumed that it simply broke off due to wear and tear, but because the conchs tip is the strongest point of the shell, the modern-day team suspected some human handiwork. Cookie Settings, C. Fritz, Musum d'Histoire naturelle de Toulouse, An Ancient Conch Shell Played for the First Time in Millennia, Kids Start Forgetting Early Childhood Around Age 7, Archaeologists Discover Wooden Spikes Described by Julius Caesar, 5,000-Year-Old Tavern With Food Still Inside Discovered in Iraq, Artificial Sweetener Tied to Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke, Study Finds, The Surprisingly Scientific Roots of Monkey Bars. Conch shells have been used as trumpets in many cultures in the past and are still popular today. Rooster Conch Seashell (4-5 inches) - Strombus Gallus. What he could tell was that the seashells horn had been decorated with traces of red pigment. There are many other possibilities, he says. Music from the large conch probably hadnt been heard by human ears for 17,000 years. . It moves in a series of jerks, pushing itself forward on the strong and pointed operculum, which acts like a claw. The earliest music was likely vocal, and "it doesn't take much effort to start banging things together to make a rhythm," says Adler. So scientists invited a musician to blow into it. The conch is the oldest known shell instrument in the world, and this is what it sounds like. The researchers also noted a brown residue, perhaps remnants of clay or beeswax, around the broken apex. Now, a team has reanalyzed the roughly foot-long conch shell using modern imaging technology. The temple seems to have been created with acoustics in mind. By examining the shell closely with special cameras and tomography scans, the team discovered a hole that was deliberately drilled under the apex, measuring about an inch deep. In 2021, researchers announced the discovery an ancient conch trumpet in a French museum. The smoothed outer lip would have made the conch easier to hold, and the broken apex and adjacent hole would have allowed a mouthpiece possibly the hollow bone of a bird to be inserted into the shell. The specimen, archaeologists have now determined, is the earliest conch shell horn yet known, and stands out as a unique find among European Upper . At first glance this trumpet may catch your eye; it's beauty and intricate designs.