9000 year old flutes are still playable! Beth Tyler 05.03.01 Archaeologists working in China dug up six very old flutes. Using a technique called carbon dating, scientists determined that the flutes are about 9000 years old. On top of that, the flutes can still make music, making them the oldest playable musical instruments every discovered. Zhang, Juzhong, Garman Harbottle, Changsui Wang, and Zhaochen Kong. 1999. Oldest playable musical instruments found at Jiahu early Neolithic site in China. Nature, 401: 366-368. ©2001 The Aurora Collection, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Site Development by: Interactive Multimedia. Inc.