NOVOSIBIRSK, RUSSIA—The Siberian Times reports that mouth harps made between 1,580 and 1,740 years ago from splintered cow or horse ribs have been unearthed at two archaeological sites in the Altai Republic by Andrey Borodovsky of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Three of the musical instruments were unfinished. The other two were complete, and one of them is still able to produce a tune. It measures about four inches long and three inches wide. Borodovsky said mouth harps made from long animal bones, rather than splintered portions of ribs, have been found in the Tuva region of Siberia and in Mongolia. To read about another recent discovery in Siberia, go to “Arctic Ice Maiden.”
