Music From Ancient Greece to the Digital Age: And Why It’s Important to Remember our Roots
- Jessica Jayne
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
For many people, music stands at the heart of everything we do and plays a large role in our
everyday lives. From ancient rituals hundreds of thousands of years ago to the modern age of
digital streaming, music has always been a constant presence in our lives and is a powerful
force for community and collective expression.
The ‘grass roots’ of musical history can be traced all the way back to 40,000 years ago (40 kya),
after archaeologists discovered a flute from the Aurignacian period carved from mammoth ivory
in Hohle Fels, a Stone Age cave in southern Germany. It is thought that not only were these
flutes used throughout prehistoric rituals and collective social gatherings, but these new cultural
accomplishments allowed them to better communicate and form tighter social bonds. It is
believed that these developments ‘gave the first European modern-human (Homo sapiens)
settlers an advantage over their now extinct Neanderthal-human (Homo neanderthalis)’and
contributed to their eventual eradication.
Although evidence for music dates back to around 40 kya, musical practices may have existed
much earlier. For example one hypothesis by Anton Killin theorizes that due to vocal anatomy,
ancient hominins (humans) such as the Homo Heidelbergensis (thought to be the ancestor to
Neanderthals) had evolved to have lowered larynges- meaning they were capable of producing
the kinds of vocal sounds modern humans are capable of producing. So although they were
anatomically capable of modern musicality as far back as 600-800 kya, we don’t know for sure if
this was a stable part of society until the discovery of the bone flute.
Anthropologists believe these early discoveries paved the way for many musical traditions such
as storytelling and myth sharing, and synchronized movements such as clapping and chanting-
actions we still do to this day when we are enjoying live performance.
However, when music first originated, it is believed that unlike the modern era where music can
often be performative, prehistoric music was participatory- everyone involved was part of the
experience, making it one of the earliest and clearest examples of music functioning as a
community-building tool.
If we fast-forward in time, these traditions can be seen again and again in ancient civilisations
such as Egypt (3000-30 BCE), Greece (800-146 BCE), and Rome (500 BCE-476 CE). Music
was considered a fundamental part of society, used in many aspects of everyday life such as
religious festivals, marriage and funeral rites, banquet gatherings and royal events. In Egypt,
these displays often involved groups of musicians using harps, lyres, flutes, and percussion;
whereas in Greece they leaned more towards choral singing, and singing alongside
accompanying oneself on a stringed instrument such as a lyre or the kithara- much like our
modern day singer songwriters! Across all these periods, music once again had a purpose not
just for entertainment but as a powerful means of reinforcing identity and bringing the
community together.The Greeks believed in something called ‘The Ethos Doctrine’
This belief took music from being seen as purely religious, to being seen as an ethical component of society- a moral force capable of building or corrupting character. The Ethos Doctrine states that music powerfully influences morals, emotions, and behavior, shaping individuals and society for good or ill.
For example, the main 4 musical modes (scales) that were predominantly used at the time were
Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, and Mixolydian, and each of these were thought to have a different
effect in society. Dorian Mode was believed to inspire balance, restraint, and calmness.
Phrygian mode was thought to inspire bravery or enthusiasm, though some philosophers also
linked it to more excessive/uncontrolled emotions. Lydian mode was often linked to feelings of
joy and hope; and Mixolydian mode was associated with relaxation and comfort.
Greek Philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle saw these relationships between music,
mathematics, and society, and used these findings to argue for the strict regulation of music
education, recommending that the state only permit modes that promoted what were deemed
‘desirable’ character traits in citizens and soldiers alike. Perhaps a scary thought, and one that
is still relevant today, over 2000 years later.
‘The Doctrine of Ethos was highly influential throughout history. Medieval scholars like Boethius
adopted and applied these ideas to the system of medieval church modes, although the actual
structure of the scales and their names changed over time. The underlying principle that music
can profoundly affect human emotion remains a foundational idea in music psychology, film
scoring, and commercial contexts today.
The idea that music always has been about bringing together community and society is not a
recent discovery. It is how the very first music was born- a participatory activity that allows one
human being to more easily communicate with another, and that remains at the heart of every
musician to this very day. Whether your friend has just started a band, from pit orchestra
musicians, composers, video game and film scores, theatre and live performance, teachers and
more- music is what keeps us all united. It has the ability to break down any language barrier,
even if you don’t speak the same language humans can be united globally through music, a
really beautiful phenomenon.
In the digital age, it is now more important than ever to remember our roots and how vital music
is in society in an industry where our jobs and livelihoods are threatened by generative AI
music. According to new studies published in November 2025, Deezer found that approximately
50,000 songs made with AI get uploaded to streaming platforms every day, and perhaps more
frighteningly, the study shows that 97% of listeners couldn’t tell the difference. These
technological advancements (whilst perhaps useful in certain industries) continue to undermine
the work of real musicians who have spent decades refining their craft. So, next time your friend
tells you about their event (whatever it may be) go and support REAL artists. Shop locally, go to
that gig on a random Wednesday night, buy from a small business at Christmas, and allow a
little bit of our ancestors' love of community to bring us back together.
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