How long have musical instruments existed?

Musical instruments have been a part of human culture for a very long time, with archaeological evidence confirming their existence as far back as the Paleolithic Period, during which pipes and whistles were used. By the Neolithic Period, evidence shows the use of clay drums and shell trumpets.12

While the exact origins of musical instruments remain a matter of conjecture, the presence of diverse and well-developed instrument collections in ancient civilizations—including those in Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean, India, East Asia, and the Americas—indicates that a long period of development must have preceded these cultures. Because the earliest physical specimens are often limited to later civilizations, much of the history regarding instruments prior to these ancient city cultures remains tied to myth and legend.1234