The instrument was found at an archeological site in the Altai Mountains.
Also known as a jaw harp, the reed is placed in the performer’s mouth and plucked with the finger to produce the note.
The instrument – four inches in length – was made by a craftsman from the ribs of a cow or horse and dates from the time the nomadic Huns controlled southern Siberia 1,580-to-1,740 years ago.
Another similar harp, less well preserved, was found alongside it at the Cheremshanka site, and three more unfinished instruments were discovered at a nearby archeological dig called Chultukov Log 9.
Specifically the instruments belonged to Maiminskaya cattle breeders, part of the vast warrior empire of the Huns.
The finds were announced by Professor Andrey Borodovsky, of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Novosibirsk, part of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The condition of the best find is good enough to play again, the expert said.
The ancient craftsmen used the middle of the rib, splintering it into two parts, he told The Siberian Times.
Such harps are among the world’s most ancient musical instruments.
The instrument, despite its name, has no connection with Jews or Judaism.