Archaeologists have found a 3,300-year-old ancient Egyptian bone whistle

The whistle was found during an archaeological excavation as part of the Amarna Project, led by Michelle Langley with Anna Stevens and Christopher Stimpson.

The study is published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

The city of Amarna (modern name Tell el-Amarna) was built by Pharaoh Ehnaton around 1347 BC and lasted only one generation. After the death of the ruler around 1332 BC, the city was abandoned.

The discovery was made near the workmen 's settlements known as Workmen's Village and Stone Village, where stonemasons and labourers who created tombs in the neighbouring necropolis lived. These areas were fenced off and controlled, possibly with watchposts and check roads.

The whistle found in Structure I is a perforated phalanx (finger bone) of a calf. Such bones were often used in antiquity to make jewellery, playthings or figurines, but this specimen shows no signs of wear or finish typical of such objects.

Experiments with reconstruction have shown that this bone functions perfectly as a whistle, producing a loud sound audible at a considerable distance. Given the location of the find - a guard station - the researchers surmise that the whistle was used to signal or attract attention.

Michelle Langley explains that the field of soundscape studies in Ancient Egypt is a new and promising field. Despite the presence of images of musical instruments on frescoes and in tombs, whistles do not appear in these sources. Perhaps such everyday instruments were simply not considered important to depict in murals centred on the lives of the elite.

She also emphasises that much of the knowledge of Ancient Egypt comes from the excavation of wealthy tombs, while common everyday objects remain understudied. Simple bone artefacts, while not impressive, provide a deeper insight into the everyday life and practices of ordinary inhabitants.

The artefact from Amarna is a reminder of the importance of studying the everyday culture of Ancient Egypt. Langley is already working on analysing other bone objects found at Amarna over the past 100 years and plans to publish new data soon.

"I hope to continue studying how the ancient Egyptians used bone, ivory and shells to create tools and jewellery. This will help us better understand their culture and daily life," Langley said.