The Jiahu gǔdí are the oldest known musical instruments from China, dating back to around 6000 BCE. Gudi means "bone flute" in Chinese.
One of the gudi flutes discovered at Jiahu, on display at the Henan Museum
Image: 贾湖骨笛 竖
Image: Neolithic bone flute
Image: Neolithic bone flute, Peiligang Culture, Wuyang, Henan, 1987, earliest known musical instrument
Jiahu was the site of a Neolithic settlement based in the central plain of ancient China, near the Yellow River. It is located between the floodplains of the Ni River to the north, and the Sha River to the south, 22 km (14 mi) north of the modern city of Wuyang, Henan Province. Most archaeologists consider the site to be one of the earliest examples of the Peiligang culture. Settled around 7000 BC, the site was later flooded and abandoned around 5700 BC. The settlement was surrounded by a moat and covered a relatively large area of 55,000 square meters. At one time, it was "a complex, highly organized Chinese Neolithic society", home to at least 250 people and perhaps as many as 800.
Jiahu
Red-crowned cranes in Hokkaido, Japan. Currently an endangered species, they were plentiful throughout the East Asia region in the Neolithic period and were hunted for meat; their wing bones were used to make the Jiahu flutes.
Gudi flute found at Jiahu, on display at the Henan Museum
