OLDER THAN OLDIES

Ancient Melodies: The 10 Oldest Songs Ever Recorded

Image: Denny Müller

Music is one of the most ancient human arts. Like echoes from the past, ancient melodies can still convey the emotions, beliefs, and cultures of our ancestors.

From religious hymns to music of celebration, we gathered some of the 10 oldest songs ever recorded in human history (so far). Join us and listen to the enchanting music of past times!

Image: Dakota Roos

Date composed: 13th Century C.E.

"Sumer Is Icumen In," often translated as "Summer has arrived," is one of the earliest examples of a _round_in Western music (a type of canon for at least three voices). Believed to have originated in the 13th century in England, this lively song celebrates the arrival of summer with its cheerful melody and lyrics. Amusingly, the song also exhibits one of the oldest recorded uses of the word "fart."

Image: John Wiesenfeld

Date composed: 6th Century C.E.

Jieshi Diao Youlan, often translated as "Solitary Orchid," is possibly the oldest surviving piece of written music from East Asia. The ancient Chinese melody dates back to the 6th century C.E., and it was originally composed for the guqin, a traditional seven-string musical instrument. The melody is renowned for its nuances, particularly in the form of microtones - in music terms, intervals that are smaller than a semitone. A curious effect of this technique is that it makes the melody sound almost modern to contemporary listeners.

Image: Denny Müller

Date composed: 4th Century C.E.

The "Te Deum" is a Christian hymn of praise dating back to the 4th century C.E. Traditionally attributed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, it is still sung in churches around the world. The name comes from the phrase "Te Deum laudamus," Latin for "Thee, God, we praise." The ancient hymn is often used during special occasions such as the election of a pope, the consecration of a bishop, or the canonization of a saint.

Image: Timothy L Brock

Date composed: 4th Century C.E.

Another ancient hymn with roots in early Christian Greek liturgy, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" was originally written for the Liturgy of Saint James, and is still used in many orthodox Christian churches around the world. However, the modern version is actually a reconstruction that combines a translation of the original Greek lyrics with a French medieval folk tune named "Picardy."

Image: Mike Labrum

Date composed: 3rd Century C.E.

"Phos Hilaron," also known by its Latin name "Lumen Hilare," is one of the oldest known Christian hymns, dating back to the 3rd century C.E. Sung during vespers, or evening prayers, it is also known as "Lamp-lighting Hymn," because it is associated with the lighting of lamps at night. While its composition is sometimes attributed to St. Basil, who lived between 329 and 379 C.E., some sources claim that St. Basil himself said that the hymn was already old at his time.

Image: Claire Satera

Date composed: 3rd Century C.E.

Discovered in Egypt among the Oxyrhynchus papyri in 1918, the "Oxyrhynchus Hymn" is written in Greek vocal notation and thought to be one of the earliest surviving Christian hymns, dating back to the 3rd century C.E. Despite not drawing from the Bible (at the time yet to be written), and the fact that only fragments of its lyrics are preserved, the hymn does reference important Christian elements such as the Holy Trinity.

Image: Caglar Araz

Date composed: 1st Century C.E.

The Seikilos Epitaph, discovered on a funerary stele in Turkey, is the oldest complete surviving musical composition. Both the lyrics and musical notation of the short song are inscribed in the pillar, and it is thought to have been written by a man named Seikilos to his deceased wife called Euterpe, or alternatively, to the Muse of Music. Since the inscription is clear and the type of notation is known, researchers had no problem in fully reconstructing the ancient melody.

Image: Elimende Inagella

Date composed: 2nd century B.C.E

The Delphic Hymns are a pair of Ancient Greek musical compositions dating back to the 2nd century B.C.E. Composed for the Pythian Games - celebratory competitions similar to the Olympic Games - held at the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, these hymns honor the god Apollo and invoke his blessings on the athletes and participants. While neither of the songs is complete, there are modern reconstructions that attempt to piece together the surviving fragments.

Image: Mick Haupt

Date composed: 1st Millennium B.C.E.

The "Song of Songs," also known as the Song of Solomon, is a collection of ancient Hebrew poems dating back to the 1st millennium B.C.E. Found in the Hebrew Bible, these passionate and poetic songs are unique in the fact that they do not explore explicitly religious teachings but rather celebrate love, desire, and the beauty of human relationships. Although there are no surviving melodies or notations associated with the poem, modern musicians have composed vocal and instrumental accompaniments to the text.

Image: Egor Myznik

Date composed: 1400 B.C.E

Dating back to the Neolithic, the Hurrian Hymn No. 6 is the oldest known song in existence. Discovered on a clay tablet in Ugarit, Syria, this hymn was written in the Hurrian language and is dedicated to the goddess Nikkal. The tablet also includes instructions to have the singer accompanied by an ancient type of harp. Historians and musicians have tried to reconstruct the song as faithfully as possible, and there are dozens of versions online if you are feeling curious.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

10 ways of saying "a piece of cake" around the world

Image: Pablo Arroyo

We all love those moments when something is so easy that we say, "It’s a piece of cake!" But did you know that this phrase exists in many different languages, each with its own unique twist? People around the world have found creative ways to express just how easy something can be. In this article, we’ll take a fun journey around the globe and explore 10 different ways to say "a piece of cake" in other languages.

Image: Alejandra Coral

People often say that French is the most romantic language in the world—Paris is the city of love, after all. But hear this: in French, if something is "as easy as sticking your fingers in the nose," or simple comme bonjour, it means it’s a breeze to do. Not very romantic of them, is it?

The full expression is facile comme de mettre les doigts dans le nez, which literally translates to "as easy as putting your fingers in your nose." Yes, the phrase is as playful as it is descriptive. However, we strongly recommend you stick to just saying it—no need to actually act it out!

Image: Rachel Park

Breakfast is the first and most important meal of the day, it gives us the necessary energy to tackle the to-dos ahead. However, in Japanese, some things are considered so easy that you don’t even need breakfast to accomplish them. You can simply do it 朝飯前 (No, we don’t know Japanese either, so here’s how to pronounce it: asameshimae).

This phrase means that a task is so easy, you could do it "before breakfast." No energy needed, no preparation required—if it’s asameshimae, you’ve got it covered without breaking a sweat. After all, what’s easier than something you can do on an empty stomach?

Image: George Kendall

If you ask a professional biologist, they’ll probably be able to tell you how smart a hedgehog is. But we’re not professional biologists—so we don’t know. What we do know is that in Russia, there’s a saying that describes certain tasks as so easy, they’re "understandable to a hedgehog" (ежу понятно, or yezhu ponyatno).

The phrase can be used for tasks or statements—basically, anything so straightforward that even a hedgehog could grasp it. So when something is crystal clear, it’s not just easy—it’s hedgehog-easy!

Image: Marine Le Gac

Finding a hair in your food is never ideal. But if we had to choose, we’d rather find it in butter than in stew. Why? Well, here’s the Turkish guarantee—removing a hair from butter is actually quite simple.

The Turkish expression tereyağından kıl çeker gibi means something is "as easy as pulling a hair from butter."

Just imagine: a hair sliding out of soft butter with no resistance, no struggle. According to this Turkish simile, the task isn’t just simple—it’s smooth and effortless. We do hope the saying stays figurative… but hey, worse things have happened!

Image: JM Lova

We have to agree with this one; few things in life are as easy as breathing. I mean, it takes literally nothing from you and gives you nothing less than life!

In Welsh, when something is mor hawdd â anadlu, it’s as effortless as taking in a breath of air. That’s the literal translation of the phrase.

Breathing is the most natural, instinctive thing we do, so this expression perfectly captures the idea of something being second nature. When life hands you an easy task, just take a breath—and remember how simple things can be.

Image: Crazy Cake

We’re not sure what the deal is with languages and butter, but it seems to be the universal image of simplicity. Just like the Turks, the Greeks also use butter to metaphorically describe an easy task.

The Greek phrase σαν βούτυρο στο ψωμί (pronounced san voutyro sto psomi) translates to "as butter spread on bread." Just as butter smoothly spreads over a slice of bread, this expression describes something that’s effortlessly simple. And if you think about it, it’s true—some things just go smoothly, like butter on bread.

Image: Matthew Hamilton

If you’re reading this around lunch or dinner time, we bet you’re already getting hungry with all these food similes we’ve mentioned. Maybe now’s the time for some chicken soup—just to see what the Portuguese mean.

In Portuguese, the phrase é sopa, which literally means "it’s soup," is used to describe something that’s super easy. More specifically, _é canja_—"it’s chicken soup"—adds a layer of comfort and familiarity to the expression. When something is é canja, you know you’re in for a task as simple and soothing as sipping a warm bowl of soup.

Image: Pete Wright

In Latvian, if something is tik viegli, kā paņemt konfekti no bērna, it’s "as easy as taking candy from a child." This expression emphasizes just how effortless a task can be, though it does carry a cheeky hint of slyness. It’s a light-hearted way of describing a situation where the difficulty is virtually nonexistent.

While you’d (hopefully) never actually take candy from a child, the phrase perfectly captures the idea of something being laughably easy.

Image: Daiga Ellaby

We’re almost at the end, and we couldn’t resist including an expression like this one. In Chinese, the phrase 易如反掌 (don’t sweat it, the pronunciation is yì rú fǎnzhǎng) means something like "as easy as turning your hand over."

This expression suggests that the task requires just a simple movement, like flipping your hand from palm up to palm down. Funny how one of the most complex languages to learn has an expression like this!

Image: Barbara Chowaniec

Let’s finish this article with yet another food-related expression. But this time, it’s not butter or cake—it’s jam.

In Croatian, when something is k’o pekmez, translated as "as simple as jam," it means the task is easy to do, with no complications or fuss.

Butter and jam have more than one thing in common: they’re smooth, sweet, eaten at breakfast, and both are used to describe simple tasks. When life gives you something easy, think of it as "as simple as jam."