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Aurignacian flute made from an animal bone, 43,000 to 39,000 years old, Geissenklösterle (). During regular archaeological excavations, several flutes that date to the European Upper Paleolithic were discovered in caves in the Swabian Alb region of Germany.
Findings from Paleolithic archaeology sites suggest that prehistoric people used carving and piercing tools to create instruments. Archeologists have found Paleolithic flutes carved from bones in which lateral holes have been pierced. The disputed Divje Babe flute, a perforated cave bear femur, is at least 40,000 years old
The Divje Babe flute, also called tidldibab, is a cave bear femur pierced by spaced holes that was unearthed in 1995 during systematic archaeological excavations led by the Institute of Archaeology of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, at the Divje Babe I near Cerkno in northwestern Slovenia.
Aurignacian finds include bone flutes. The oldest undisputed musical instrument was the Hohle Fels Flute discovered in the Hohle Fels cave in Germany's Swabian Alb in 2008. [14] The flute is made from a vulture's wing bone perforated with five finger holes, and dates to approximately 35,000-40,000 years ago. [14]
The Divje Babe Flute was found in layer 8, dated to the middle Paleolithic of 50,000 to 35,000 years ago. [4] It was in close vicinity to a hearth, indicating the presence of prehistoric people, probably Neanderthals. [4] The flute is a fragment of a thigh bone from a young cave bear with four recessed holes. [4]
The flutes date back at least 35,000 years and are some of the earliest musical instruments ever found. [4] In 2012, it was announced that an earlier discovery of bone flute fragments in Geißenklösterle Cave now date back to about 42,000 years, instead of 37,000 years, as earlier perceived.
Flutes are most often produced by multiple flake removals; Length and quality of flutes is greatly variable, with length usually 30% to 50% of overall point length, and the majority near the former; Base of flutes is often widened by subsequent removals of additional channel flakes or short wide flakes.
Examples of Paleolithic bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years, to be discovered by archaeologists. [1] While the oldest flutes currently known were found in Europe, Asia too has a long history with the instrument that has continued into the present day. In China, a playable bone flute was discovered, about 9000 years old. [2]