Bone mouth harps and their blanks of the Hunno-Sarmatian period from Northern Altai

The earliest examples of bone mouth harps started to appear on the territory of Southern Siberia and Central Asia since the Hunno-Sarmatian time. The research was aimed at finding mouth harps and their blanks among other objects of bone carving complex of the Northern Altai settlements (Cheremshanka and Chultukov Log-9) of the early first millennium AD. Structural and morphological analysis of the material used for manufacturing all mouth harps of the Hunno-Sarmatian time were made of lamellar bone from the ribs of large hoofed animals. Trace analysis has revealed the main processing methods: chipping, cutting, and drilling with a metal tool (knife). The bone mouth harps and their blanks described in this article are the earliest findings among this type of musical instruments on the territory of Altai.