Flute History

Photo Courtesy of
Rianne Kriechel-Mans

The oldest flute ever discovered may be a fragment of the femur of a juvenile cave bear, with two to four =holes=, found at Divje Babe in Slovenia and dated to about 43,000 years ago. The authenticity of this fact, however, is often disputed. In 2008 another flute dated back to at least 35,000 years ago was discovered in Hohle Fels cave near Ulm, Germany. The five-holed flute has a V-shaped mouthpiece and is made from a vulture wing bone.