Were Neanderthals capable of creating music?

In 1995, archaeologist Ivan Turk discovered a unique perforated bone in the Divje Babe cave in Slovenia. The artefact was found in the middle of a palaeolithic layer of earth, near the remains of a Neanderthal fire place, stone and bone tools.

Extensive experimental research confirmed that the holes in the bone were hand-made and that the bone was likely a neanderthal flute, between 50-60,000 years old. This made it the world’s oldest musical instrument, and therefore an object that could re-write our assumptions about the fundemental humanity of our Neanderthal cousins.

Video by Martina Žoldoš

Commissioning Editor: Cagney Roberts

28 June 2022