In the Beginning was Music! Direct Evidence for Global Musical Connections in the Bronze Age

This article provides first-hand evidence for the existence of a global musical culture that was already present in the Bronze Age. The studied prehistoric music connects the Near East with India, the Caucasus, and the Mediterranean across thousands of miles of impenetrable mountains, highland plateaus, and deserts. The material that is discussed in detail in the article includes the Hymn to Nikkal and the Rig Veda. The Hymn to Nikkal is the oldest musical score that has yet been unearthed. It was found on the east coast of the Mediterranean. The Rig Veda is a collection of tens of thousands of verses dating from the same Bronze Age period as the Hymn to Nikkal. These verses have been passed down to us in an oral tradition in India. The study of the musical connection between the Hymn to Nikkal and the Rig Veda, together with the ramifications that surround it, suggests that the Bronze Age saw the emergence of a global musical culture. The statistical evidence discussed in the present article comes as close to certainty as mathematically possible. Overall, the idea of a global musical culture in the Bronze Age will strongly impact multiple fields of research including evolutionary linguistics and the study of cultural evolution and diversification, as well as the broader understanding of the human condition.