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Mon Oct 19 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm UTC+01:00

Did Neanderthals hum? The Musicality of Early Humans

  • The Royal Institution · London
  • From GBP 7.90
The Royal Institution Publisher / Host The Royal Institution
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Did Neanderthals hum? The Musicality of Early Humans
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From Neanderthal hums to ancient instruments: Steven Mithen explores the origins of music and its role in human evolution.
About this Event

Just how old is human music? The oldest discovered instruments date back around 42 000 years, but what about before that? What instruments have been lost to time? Did Neanderthals hum? Does musicality pre-date language and is it an essential part of human evolution?


These topics were covered in The Cosmic Shambles Network’s recent docuseries ‘For the Record: An Incomplete History of Music’, by archaeologist Steven Mithen. For this special event he will be diving deeper into these questions and more.


The author of 'The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body’ will introduce you to the science that supports the idea that music is the language of emotion and a human cultural universal, an integral part of our evolution, and indeed, our physical being.


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Event image by Vitor Paladini via Pexels

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Event venue & nearby stays

The Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street, London, United Kingdom

Tickets GBP 7.90 to GBP 21.44
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