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The Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age) and the Genus Homo
- 2.4 million years ago: The genus Homo appears. That’s our genus. About a dozen Homo species eventually evolved, all of which became extinct except H. sapiens.
Most human evolution took place in the Palaeolithic Age, also known as the Old Stone Age, a time period recognized by palaeontologists and archaeologists that began about 2.5 million years ago and ended about 12,000 years ago. (In geology, the equivalent period is called the Pleistocene epoch—1.8 million years ago to about 12,000 years ago.)
It is possible that music has existed in all species of the genus Homo. However, it’s hard to know exactly when music began because musical instruments made of reeds or trees or animal hides decay into dust and leave no fossil evidence. Also, the vocal apparatus is made of soft tissue, which decays into dust, except for the hyoid bone, which occasionally fossilizes.
Evidence from the fossil record indicates a modern respiratory system in the genus Homo at least 1.5 million years ago, with traits such as a barrel chest and projecting nose—requirements for producing both vocal music and words. So it’s conceivable that singing and language go back that far. Apes, due to their vocal tract anatomy, do not have the ability to produce consonants, and, therefore, spoken language.