Overview
- The study, published in Antiquity, reports experimental playing of Catalan conch shells that produced high-intensity tones suitable for distant communication.
- Twelve large shells dated to the late fifth–early fourth millennia BC were examined, with eight intact enough to play and measure acoustically.
- Deliberate apex removal and evidence the shells were collected after the mollusks died indicate purposeful modification for sound production rather than food use.
- Co-author Miquel López-García, an archaeologist and professional trumpet player, demonstrated stable tones and controllable pitch, likening the timbre to a modern french horn.
- Finds from settlements and variscite mines suggest roles in coordinating agricultural and mining activities, and the work situates these instruments within a long tradition that includes the Marsoulas conch dated to around 18,000 BC.