https://www.nms.si:443/en/collections/highlights/343-Neanderthal-flute [pro] Please wait ... NARODNI MUZEJ SLOVENIJE ABOUT THE MUSEUM LIBRARY PRESS OUR FRIENDS [ ] [] menu * * * [ ] [] EN * SI close EN * SI * Exhibitions * Events * Plan your visit * Education * Collections * Activities * Publications * 200 years * ABOUT THE MUSEUM LIBRARY PRESS OUR FRIENDS * Collection Highlights * Collection of Paintings Neanderthal fluteThe oldest musical instrument in the world [Neandertal] Muzejska Collections Collection Highlights Collection of Paintings QUICK LINKS MUSEUM LOCATIONS ADMISSION EXHIBITIONS Social Media * * * * Home * Collections * Collection Highlights Show menu Neanderthal flute The oldest musical instrument in the world (60,000 years) [Neandertal] The oldest musical instrument in the world, a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal flute is a treasure of global significance. It was discovered in Divje babe cave near Cerkno and has been declared by experts to have been made by Neanderthals. It is made from the left thighbone of a young cave bear and has four pierced holes. Musical experiments confirmed findings of archaeological research that the size and the position of the holes cannot be accidental - they were made with the intention of musical expression. The flute from Divje babe is the only one that was definitely made by Neanderthals. It is about 20,000 years older than other known flutes, made by anatomically modern humans. This discovery confirms that the Neanderthals were, like us, fully developed spiritual beings capable of sophisticated artistic expression. Object: Neanderthal flute - the flute from Divje babe Description: The oldest flute in the world. It is pierced by two well-preserved and two damaged holes. The flute from Divje babe is the oldest of Palaeolithic flutes known to the present throughout the world and at the same time the first reliably proven to be made by a Neanderthal. As far as we now know, Neanderthals were the first among the closest human relatives that made musical instruments. The flute from Divje babe testifies to the fact that Neanderthals were capable of such an abstract and uniquely human activity as creating music. Dating: 60,000 years before present Material: Bone of a cave bear Length: 11.4 cm Site: Divje babe cave near Cerkno, Slovenia Inv. No: D. b. 652 On display: Permanent exhibition The Earliest Stories from the Crossroads at the National Museum of Slovenia See a short documentary on the Neanderthal flute For viewing video content please confirm partner Youtube videos and accept marketing cookies. More information [sebrelje-a] Photo: Gregor Kacin Where does it come from? The bone flute was discovered in 1995 in the cave of Divje babe near Cerkno during systematic excavations led by Ivan Turk. The cave lies below the north-eastern edge of the Sebrelje plateau, 230 meters above the Idrijca River. The cave in which it was found was a den of cave bears, but in the last glacial period it was occasionally also visited by people, initially Neanderthals and afterwards anatomically modern humans. The flute was found close to a hearth, in a layer deposited about 60 to 50 millennia ago. The age of the flute Based on the dating of the layer in which the flute was discovered, it is about 60,000-50,000 years old and belongs to the Old Stone Age (the Palaeolithic). In the layer with the flute, the archaeologists also discovered Neanderthals' stone tools. The age of the layer in which the flute was discovered was recently established on the basis of electron spin resonance used on bear teeth. The flute from Divje babe is about 20,000 years older than other known flutes, made by anatomically modern humans. [Neandertal] Who made it? The flute is for the time being unique, not merely in Europe but also throughout the rest of the world: a Neanderthal individual made it. Neanderthals About 200,000 years ago, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis developed in Europe and later expanded all the way to West Asia and Middle East. They were named after the site Neanderthal in Germany where fossil remains were first recognized in 1856. They lived in the glacial period and were physically adapted to harsh and cold climates. They became extinct about 40,000 years ago, the reason for which is the subject of numerous theories. [orodje] A pointed stone tool from flint [prebijac1] A bone punch How did the Neanderthals make the flute? It is made from the thighbone of a young cave bear and has four pierced holes, two of which are entirely preserved and two partly. With practical experiments with the replicas of the tools, discovered in the cave, archaeologists explained how the Neanderthals made the holes in the flute: with a pointed stone tool, a small hollow was carved in the bone, and it was pierced with a bone punch. The result was a hole. Various analyses and experiments proved the impossibility of the holes being attributed to animal bites or a coincidence. Why is the find so important? The Neanderthal flute from Divje babe is the oldest known musical instrument in the world and to this day the best evidence for the existence of music in Neanderthals. Indeed, other known Palaeolithic flutes were made by anatomically modern humans. The flute from Divje babe is of exceptional importance in understanding the cultural and, indirectly, the biological development of our ancestors. The find radically undermines until recently inveterate conceptions of Neanderthals as primitive hominids. It testifies to the fact that the Neanderthals were innovative and sensitive people capable of artistic expression. Gallery [piscal-in-] The flute and its reconstruction (photo: Tomaz Lauko) [Neandertal] Neanderthal flute (photo: Tomaz Lauko) [jamski-med] Cave bear with cubs (drawing: Jurij Mikuletic) [Okostje] A skeleton of a cave bear cub (drawing: Dragica Knific Lunder) [Neandertal] A Neanderthal with a flute (drawing: Igor Rehar) [Ljuben-Dim] Ljuben Dimkaroski playing the copy of the Neanderthal flute form Divje babe (photo: Tomaz Lauko) [Ljuben-Dim] Ljuben Dimkaroski playing the copy of the Neanderthal flute form Divje babe (photo: Tomaz Lauko) Curiosities The shape of the selected thighbone, its preserved length, a mouthpiece (deliberately sharpened edge at the top), and the results of CT scans allowed an accurate and authentic reconstruction of the instrument which allows a wide range of sonority in melodic movement. In terms of musical performance, the instrument is superior to the other reconstructed Palaeolithic musical instruments, and it is ergonomically adapted to a right-handed musician. You can enjoy the melodies masterly played by the academic musician Ljuben Dimkaroski on the reconstruction of the Neanderthal flute (called tidldibab) also at home. Buy the CD A Sound from the Past in the museum store. Further reading * Ivan Turk: Divje Babe I. Paleolitsko najdisce mlajsega pleistocena v Sloveniji (2. del: Arheologija) / Upper Pleistocene Palaeolithic site in Slovenia (Part 2: Archaeology). Opera Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae 29, Ljubljana 2014. * Ivan Turk: Divje Babe I. Paleolitsko najdisce mlajsega pleistocena v Sloveniji (1. del: Geologija in paleontologija) / Upper Pleistocene palaeolithic site in Slovenia (Part 1: Geology and Palaeontology). Opera Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae 13, Ljubljana 2007. * Ljuben Dimkaroski: Glasbena raziskovanja najdbe iz Divjih bab I. Neandertalceva piscal: od domnevne piscali do sodobnega glasbila. Argo 53/2, 2010, str. 10-17. (Text in Slovene, summary in English; pdf, 909 KB) On display in the Permanent Exhibition Stories from the Crossroads Permanent Stories from the Crossroads from 23. 8. 2014 Muzejska Guided tours to the Archaeological Park Divje Babe Info & reservations: LTO Laufar Cerkno Mocnikova ulica 2, 5282 Cerkno, Slovenia E: info@visitcerkno.si, T: +386 (0)5 373 46 45 www.visitcerkno.si; http://www.divje-babe.si/en/ In the research of the first instrumental sounds of humanity, a significant role is played in the Slovenian territory by the Neanderthal flute in the creation of the story of the oldest known musical instruments in Europe and the world. Collections Collection Highlights Collection of Paintings QUICK LINKS MUSEUM LOCATIONS ADMISSION EXHIBITIONS EXHIBITIONS Occasional exhibitions Permanent exhibitions Visiting Showcase of the month Forthcoming Past exhibitions EVENTS Guided tours Lectures Workshops Adventures Archive Collections Collection Highlights Collection of Paintings EDUCATION Adults Children and Families Schools Tourists Special Needs Activities Hands-on Activities Ziva's Corners Ziva's Creative Workshop Plan your visit Locations Opening hours and contact Admission Visitors with special needs [NMS] Narodni muzej Slovenije Presernova cesta20 SI-1000 Ljubljana Tel.: +386 1 24 14 400 Fax: +386 1 24 14 422 E-mail: info@nms.si Consent choices Copyright (c) Narodni muzej Slovenije production AV studio