Ancient music encompasses the diverse musical cultures of literate civilizations before approximately 500 CE, characterized by monophony, improvisation, and the strong influence of text. A crucial development was written notation, with the Hurrian Hymn No. 6 from the 14th century BCE being the earliest known example, enabling music's preservation beyond oral tradition.
In ancient Egypt, music was integral to culture, with instruments like harps, flutes, and the ritual sistrum depicted in tomb paintings from the Old Kingdom (c. 2575–2134 BCE). Mesopotamia offers even earlier insights: Anne Draffkorn Kilmer interpreted cuneiform tablets from Nippur (c. 2000 BCE) as early musical instructions, possibly detailing harmonies and scales. Additionally, the famous "Harps of Ur" (actually lyres), dating to around 2750 BCE, provide physical evidence of sophisticated ancient instruments. These findings offer fascinating, though often speculative, glimpses into the rich musical heritage of early civilizations across regions like China, Greece, India, and Rome.