China
Chinese

Stone, wood, leather
Mid-Late 20th century
Length: 25 in; Width: longest = 15.5 in, shortest = 6 in, Depth: 2 in
Mallet length: 11.75 in
Idiophones – Struck Idiophones – Metallophones/Xylophones

This modern lithophone, a xylophone made of stone, consists of a set of resonant oblong stone bars resting horizontally.  Its true origin and form remain questionable. It has three western diatonic octaves of notes carved from stone in a leather-covered wooden case. The notes are engraved with a floral design as well as some writing with Chinese characters. The entire xylophone is outlined with engraved circles, one on the top and bottom of each note, and down the sides of the longest and shortest notes.

Excavations throughout southeast Asia showed up very large models of stone xylophones with plates bigger than one meter.  Despite the question of the real age of these sets and whether they were used as a musical instrument or not, the basic idea of arranging beaten idiophones in a row might be accepted as perhaps one of mankind’s oldest instruments.