“Oldest Musical Instrument”

Archaeologists have found a pre-historic instrument carved from cave bear bones, and it can still be played today. The Neanderthal Flute, found in the cave of Divje Babe in Slovenia, is thought to date back at least 50,000 years, making it the oldest known musical instrument in the world. bIt was discovered by archaeologists in a cave near the Idrijca River in 1995. Ivan Turk, who led the excavation, discovered the ‘bone flute’ laid beside a hearth once used by Neanderthals. While only a fragment remains intact, the ancient instrument can teach us a lot about how Homo sapiens, or our now extinct cousins Homo neanderthalensis, once made music.