(Fwd) Re: Horns used as sounding instruments

[georgejayne]

For:

David Lubman, FASA
Acoustical Consultant
14301 Middletown Lane
Westminster, CA USA 92683
714.898.9099

Dear David,

I have recieved your comprehensive questioning concerning the Neolithic bone
flute. So that I may give you an equally detailed response, I will contact
you within the next week.

best wishes,

George Nash


George Nash
Orchard Cottage,
Weobley Marsh,
Herefordshire,
HR4 8RP.

Tel. 0044 1544 318 512
Mob. 07947 558 402
Website:http:www.georgenash.freeserve.co.uk

Center for the Historic Environment,
Department of Archaeology,
University of Bristol,
43 Woodlands Road,
Bristol,
England.

----------
>From: Alice Choyke <h13017cho at helka.iif.hu>
>To: BONETOOLS at LISTSERV.IIF.HU
>Subject: (Fwd) Re: Horns used as sounding instruments
>Date: Thu, Oct 30, 2003, 4:39 pm
>

>------- Forwarded message follows -------
>Dear Alice Choyke:
>
>Many thanks for forwarding this item about the possible bone flute.
>
>You are correct that I am not subscribed to this list. But for your courtesy I
>would not have known that anyone noticed my question. I have heard nothing
>from the list since then, and so I assume there are no other replies.
>
>The forwarded post seems highly noteworthy, but an acoustician is not to be
>relied upon for scholarly insights into worked bone. I can and will raise an
>issue out of left field, and hope you will forgive my innocence if it is wrong or
>trivial. I can and will make an obvious suggestion about the further acoustical
>study of this flute.
>
>Here it comes, for whatever it's worth.
>
>Let's assume that the bone is a flute, and was interred with the person
>because the flute was powerfully identified with that person What purpose
>might the flute have served in that person's life?
>
>Doubtlessly, many of my musical acoustic colleagues would immediately
>assume that its function was musical. But perhaps its primary purpose was
>practical.
>
>Since the supposed flute was worked from a sheep bone, perhaps the
>interred person was powerfully connected with sheep. Considering the terrain
>and the limited occupational choices, an obvious guess is that the interred
>may have been a sheep herder.
>
>What practical use might a Neolithic sheep herder have for a flute? This is the
>question I should like to be put to those familiar with the practices of sheep
>herders.
>
>Why are later shepherds persistently identified with flutes, pipes, and horns.
>It is in the nature of sheep and other herd animals. Sheep (and perhaps other
>grazing herd animals) tend to wander off and need to be rounded up at the
>end of each day. That's the shepherd's job, and this is where sound devices
>enter as important shepherd tools.
>
>I am told that sheep (modern sheep at least) recognize the sound of their
>shepherd's flute, pipe, or horn, and respond by homing on the sound. Thie
>memories of this touching but important fact and daily ritual of shepherd life
>are retained. Obvious example in the English-speaking world: "Little boy blue
>come blow your horn ... "
>
>Shepherd's need a portable sound device to make unique sounds that carry a
>good distance. Flutes are not all that loud. Horns are louder. I don't know
>enough about shepherding to be sure that I understand why herders used
>flutes. But I'll bet there is a practical reason that has to do with shepherding.
>Again, ask the experts. Whatever the practical reason, shepherds would have
>plenty of time to invent music as a byproduct. Thus, shepherd music could
>have grown out of herder necessity.
>
>Many allusions to shepherds come to us from the Near East through Judeo-
>Christian writings, and are embedded deeply in our culture. For example,
>consider metaphors about straying or lost sheep. Christian clergy are seen
>as "shepherds" or "pastors" which has a similar original meaning. We (the
>laity) are their ever-straying flock.
>
>Shepherds are favored over farmers according to my reading of the sources of
>that culture. Cain was a farmer and Abel the shepherd, the dichotomous
>Neolithic occupations. The God of the Hebrew bible favored the blood
>sacrifices of the firstlings of Abel's flock to Cain's vegetable offering. The
>Patriarchs of Genesis enter Egypt as shepherds and soon after they emerge,
>led by a prince of Egypt who had become a shepherd in Midian. The God of
>Exodus "calls" his flock with a shofar - which I suspect was originally a
>shepherd horn - to receive the 10 Commandments (Exodus Chapter 19.)
>David was a shepherd-king. Christ is both "The Good Shepherd" and "The
>Lamb of Sacrifice". (This is the short list.)
>
>I need your help with a problem I'm having with this hypothesis. I have found
>no evidence in the archaeological record that Hebrew or proto-Hebrew
>shepherds used shofars for signalling or sheparding. There is irrefutable
>evidence in scripture of the shofar's use for signaling and in warfare. There is
>historical written evidence for their use in the second temple for signaling
>(e.g., announcing the New Moon). Although there is abundant iconographic
>evidence of shofars as symbols on the floors of ancient synagogues, I have
>not found any evidence of material remains of an ancient shofars Why is
>that?
>
>I suppose that animal horns originate as hair rather than bone. Although
>horns are not bones, I'm hoping that someone in your group can tell me
>whether animal horns are likely or unlikely to persist in the archaeological
>record.
>
>Here is my practical suggestion for study of this "flute". Forgive me if this is
>already old stuff to your august group. Could it be useful for the acoustical
>study of this flute to cast replicas and distribute them to various laboratories
>that study musical archaeology. There are modern methods of nondestructive
>scanning of a 3-dimensional object and replication by machine. This could
>help to bring unite specialists who don't usually communicate with each other
>in common cause. For better or worse!
>
>Best regards,
>
>David Lubman
>Westminster, California
>------------------------
>h13017cho at helka.iif.hu wrote:
>    Dear David,
>    Since you are not on the bonetool list I thought I
>    had better forward you this response.
>    hope it helps!
>
>    Alice Choyke
>    ------- Forwarded message follows -------
>    Date sent:      Wed, 15 Oct 2003 00:20:48 +0100
>    Send reply to:  Mailing list for archaeologists of
>    the research group for
>    <BONETOOLS at LISTSERV.IIF.HU>
>    From:           georgejayne
>    <georgejayne at lineone.net>
>    Subject:        Re: (Fwd) Horns used as sounding
>    instruments
>    To:             BONETOOLS at LISTSERV.IIF.HU
>
>    Dear David Lubman,
>
>    I can't help you with horns but we do have in the
>    UK a unique Neolithic site
>    in Wales. The excavation revealed a bone flute,
>    made from Ovis (sheep).This
>    instrument was C14 dated to 3020+/-80bc and the
>    earliest in Britain.
>    Outlined below is the description of the monument
>    where the flute was found.
>    I am not sure what chord it is in - but probably
>    C.
>
>    Take care,
>
>    George Nash,
>    University of Bristol
>    UK.
>
>    12. Penywyrlod, Talgarth
>    NGR SO 1505 3156
>    Monument Classification: BRE 14
>    Not to be confused with Penywrlod [BRE 1],
>    Llanigon, this monument stands on
>    a small rise overlooking Mynydd Troed. Partly
>    hidden by tree cover,
>    Penwyrlod was discovered during quarrying and
>    excavated in 1972. Much of the
>    chamber and passage plan at the southern end of
>    the mound remains intact.
>    The mound, one of the largest in the area, is a
>    Òhybrid¹ type of the later
>    Severn-Cotswold design. Originally, Penwyrlod
>    possessed two extended horns
>    and a false portal at the southern end. These are
>    no longer visible.
>    However, three chambers with disturbed capstones,
>    and the remains of two
>    passages, can be clearly identified. The chambers
>    and passages open out
>    towards the Black Mountains and, to the west, the
>    Brecon Beacons. However,
>    the internal architecture, that is, the
>    arrangement of chambers and
>    passages, appears to be influenced only by the
>    Black Mountains.
>
>    Standing 260m above sea level, on the crest of a
>    ridge above the Afon Llynfi
>    valley, the monument is clearly valley aligned,
>    even though the orientation
>    is directly towards Mynydd Troed. Also worth
>    noting is that the monument is
>    inter-visible with three other nearby tombs -
>    Ffostyll North (3) and South
>    (4) and Pipton (8). All are similar
>    architecturally and appear to share an
>    affinity in terms of landscape topography and
>    valley alignment.
>
>    Prior to excavation, the northern section of the
>    grass-covered mound had
>    been heavily quarried. This had destroyed one side
>    chamber, exposed another
>    and revealed a false portal and central chamber
>    lying beyond the main axis.
>    Quarrying also revealed the original outline of
>    the mound, which
>    incorporated substantial revetment walling at the
>    north-eastern end and
>    along the south-eastern horn of the forecourt.
>    Excavations at both ends of
>    the axis suggested the mound measured 52m x 22.5m.
>    A total of six
>    excavations, mainly on the revetment facing north-
>    east, exposed three
>    side-chambers, a central chamber (access to which
>    may have been from the
>    north-east) and the north-eastern horn. The
>    central chamber comprised two
>    orthostats (still visible today) in-filled with
>    earth and sandstone. The
>    excavation report (Britnell & Savory 1972)
>    suggests these were tilted
>    inwards to support a large capstone(s), the entire
>    structure then being
>    covered by a rubble cairn. The north-eastern
>    chamber had been almost totally
>    destroyed; only a single orthostat remained that
>    appeared to form two
>    separate compartments measuring 2m x 1.2m and 1.6m
>    x 1m. The latter was
>    entered from a passage between two revetment
>    walls. Fallen uprights
>    indicated a second chamber, measuring 2.85m x 1m x
>    1.3m, on the
>    north-eastern side. A slab sealed the chamber,
>    giving the impression of a
>    false entrance, a feature commonly found within
>    the Severn-Cotswold region.
>    The third excavated chamber lay at the terminal
>    end of the mound and
>    revealed an entrance with supporting revetment
>    walls.
>
>    Much disarticulated human bone was recovered from
>    chambers two - where long
>    bones were piled against the foot of the side-
>    walls - and three ñ the
>    remains from which possibly formed part of an
>    ossuary deposit (RCHAM(W):40).
>    A flint knife, a possible bone flute and many
>    animal bones accompanied the
>    human remains. Several fragments of Abingdon ware
>    were recovered from within
>    the same chamber area, beneath the entrance.
>    George Nash
>    Orchard Cottage,
>    Weobley Marsh,
>    Herefordshire,
>    HR4 8RP.
>
>    Tel. 0044 1544 318 512
>    Mob. 07947 558 402
>    Website:http:www.georgenash.freeserve.co.uk
>
>    Center for the Historic Environment,
>    Department of Archaeology,
>    University of Bristol,
>    43 Woodlands Road,
>    Bristol,
>    England.
>
>    ----------
>
>    From: Alice Choyke <h13017cho at helka.iif.hu>
>    To: BONETOOLS at LISTSERV.IIF.HU
>    Subject: (Fwd) Horns used as sounding
>    instruments
>    Date: Tue, Oct 14, 2003, 9:17 pm
>
>
>
>
>    ------- Forwarded message follows -------
>    Date sent:              Mon, 13 Oct 2003
>    12:59:21 -0700
>    From:                   David Lubman
>    <dlubman at ix.netcom.com>
>    Organization:           David Lubman &
>    Associates
>    To:
>    bonetools at listserv.iif.hu
>    Subject:                Horns used as
>    sounding instruments
>
>    Dear Sirs/Madams:
>
>    I am an acoustical scientist in California
>    (USA) studying the ancient
>    history of the "shofar".
>
>    I seek evidence from the archaeological
>    record of the ancient use of the
>    horns of herd animals for sounding, perhaps
>    by shepherds, and especially
>    in the middle east.
>
>    I am aware that the word "shofar" is derived
>    from the Assyrian
>    "shapparu" which I understand to be a wild
>    goat of the ibex family.
>
>    I speculate that animal horns found mundane
>    uses by shepherds for
>    calling over long distances for many hundreds
>    of years before they
>    became the ritual instrument we know today.
>
>    I will be most grateful for scholarly
>    references and opinions.
>
>    Sincerely yours,
>
>    David Lubman, FASA
>    Acoustical Consultant
>    14301 Middletown Lane
>    Westminster, CA USA 92683
>    714.898.9099
>
>
>
>    ------- End of forwarded message -------
>
>
>    ------- End of forwarded message -------
>
>
>
>
>------- End of forwarded message -------