In the 14th century BC, during the dawn of civilization, the world’s oldest known musical piece was created, which, considering its ancient origins, is surprisingly catchy and memorable.
Current scientific understanding indicates that the oldest known song in the world is the Hurrian Hymn No. 6 (also known as the Hymn to Nikkal), discovered in the 1950s on a clay tablet in the ancient Syrian port city of Ugarit. This hymn, dating back to the 14th century BC, is over 3400 years old and miraculously has almost entirely survived.
(To be precise, there is an even older one: a similar tablet containing a hymn praising Lipit-Ishtar, the fifth king of the Sumerian Isin dynasty, which was created roughly 600 years earlier—however, it contains hardly more than tuning instructions for the lyre.)
The Hurrians (or Hurri people) were an ancient group in northern Mesopotamia: they established the magnificent Mitanni Empire, known for its splendid cavalry and chariots, which flourished in the 14th century BC.
The song is a hymn to Nikkal, the Semitic goddess of orchards; the singer performed it accompanied by instruments (likely a lute or the nine-stringed harp known as the sammûm). The text is somewhat difficult to decipher, partly because we do not fully understand the Hurrian language, and partly because the clay tablet is slightly damaged. Additionally, the text was probably written in a local Ugaritic dialect, which differs from the variations of the language known from other sources. It is also possible that some words were pronounced differently to fit the music. What is certain is that it is a religious text, mentioning sacrifices offered to Nikkal, the wife of the moon god.
Dr. Anne Kilmer, an emeritus professor of Assyriology at the University of California, studied the tablet for 15 years before finally managing to notate the Hurrian Hymn No. 6 in 1972, allowing anyone to play it on any instrument. Accordingly, numerous interpretations can be found online, ranging from those intended to be authentic to more modern renditions
Photo source: Reddit