VOA慢速英语2021--18000年前的海螺号仍能演奏

A large conch shell brought little attention in a French museum for many years, but it is now quickly gaining attention.

The shell is thought to be the oldest known seashell instrument. And it still works, producing a deep sound, like a foghorn¹ from the distant past.

The shell was found during the exploration of a cave with prehistoric² wall paintings in the Pyrenees Mountains in southwestern France. It was believed to be a ceremonial drinking cup. Scientists from the University of Toulouse in France recently took a fresh look at the conch shell. They now believe it was changed thousands of years ago to serve as a wind instrument. They also invited a French horn player to play it.

"Hearing it for the first time, for me it was a big emotion" and caused some worry, said archaeology³ researcher Carole Fritz. She feared that playing the 31-centimeter-long shell might damage it, but it did not. The horn produced clear musical notes in C, C sharp and D.

The researchers estimate it to be about 18,000 years old. Their findings appeared Wednesday in the publication Science Advances.

Conch shells have been used widely in musical and ceremonial traditions, including in ancient Peru, Greece, Japan and India. The shell instrument found in the Marsoulas cave is now the oldest known example. Earlier, Gilles Tosello, another archaeologist in Toulouse, said a conch shell instrument found in Syria was estimated to be about 6,000 years old.

The latest discovery was made after a recent inventory⁴ at the Natural History Museum of Toulouse. The researchers noticed some unusual holes in the shell. Especially important is that the end of the shell was broken off. That created a hole large enough to blow through. Inspections⁵ with a microscopic⁶ showed that the opening was made by humans. It was not accidental breakage or wear, Tosello said.

By putting a small medical camera into the shell, the researchers found that another hole had been carefully made farther inside. They also found evidence of red coloring on the mouth of the conch. It matched a design found on the wall of Marsoulas cave.

"This is classic, really solid archaeology," said Margaret Conkey. She is an archaeologist at the University of California, Berkeley but was not involved in the research. This discovery reminds us that ancient people's lives were more complex than making stone tools and hunting large animals, she said.

Marsoulas cave is not near an ocean. So the prehistoric people must have either moved around or traded to get the shell, Conkey and the researchers said.

"What makes conch shells so interesting is that the spiral⁷" part formed by nature is great at making music, said Rasoul Morteza. He is a musician in Montreal, Canada, who has studied how sound is made with conch shells. He also was not involved in the paper.

Using a model of the shell, the archaeologists plan to continue studying the horn's sounds. Tosello said he hopes to hear the ancient instrument played inside the cave where it was found.

It is wonderful when an object is forgotten somewhere and suddenly it "comes again into the light," he said.

Words in This Story

conch shell –n. the hard, outer covering of a shellfish called a conch

foghorn –n. a special device used on boats and lighthouses that makes a very loud, deep sound used to warn ships of danger in bad weather

cave –n. a large hole or room underground that is formed by natural processes

cup –n. a small container for drinking

archaeology (archeology) –n. a science that deals with past human life and activities by studying bones and tools of ancient people

inventory –n. the act or process of making a complete list of things that are kept in a place

classic –adj. something used as an example of excellence⁸

spiral –n. a circular curving structure that becomes increasingly thin at one end

1 foghorn   

n..雾号（浓雾信号）

参考例句：

• The foghorn boomed out its warning.雾角鸣声示警。
• The ship foghorn boomed out.船上的浓雾号角发出呜呜声。

2 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

3 archaeology   

n.考古学

参考例句：

• She teaches archaeology at the university.她在大学里教考古学。
• He displayed interest in archaeology.他对考古学有兴趣。

4 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

5 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

7 spiral   

adj.螺旋的；n.螺旋（线）；vi.盘旋上升（或下降）

参考例句：

• The production in this factory is spiral.这个厂的产量呈盘旋上升。
• Their profits began to spiral down disastrously.他们的利润开始螺旋形地急剧下降。

8 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。