Oldest complete song

The “Song of Seikilos” (also known as the “Seikilos Epitaph”) has been dated to the 1st or 2nd century CE and is widely considered to be the oldest complete musical composition.

“Hymn to Nikkal”, the oldest preserved song with notation, and the "Delphic Hymns", the oldest notated music with a known composer, are both older examples but were discovered in fragments and are incomplete.

The Song of Seikilos' Greek lyrics come with signs and symbols to indicate a melody and were found engraved on a tombstone (or stele) from the Hellenistic town of Tralles, near modern-day Aydın in Türkiye.

The marble epitaph first came to light in 1883, but went missing and was later rediscovered propping up a flowerpot before being transferred to the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. The song is dedicated from Seikilos to Euterpe – thought to be his wife. The chilling, liberal English translation of the lyrics warn: “While you live, shine. Have no grief at all. Life exists only for a short while, and time demands its toll.”