The Divje Babe flute, also called tidldibab, is a cave bear bone with holes spaced apart. It was discovered in 1995 during organized archaeological work by the Institute of Archaeology of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts near Cerkno in northwestern Slovenia. Some scientists believe Neanderthals created it as a musical instrument, and it is referred to as the Neanderthal flute. The artifact is displayed in the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana and is considered the oldest known musical instrument. However, this claim has caused strong disagreement among scientists. No other Neanderthal musical instruments are known, and finding one from the Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian) period might suggest that Neanderthals had symbolic behaviors previously unknown.

Site

The cave site is a horizontal cave that is 45 meters (148 feet) long and up to 15 meters (49 feet) wide. It is located 230 meters (750 feet) above the Idrijca River, near Cerkno, and is open for visitors to explore. Researchers who studied the site found more than 600 archaeological items in at least ten layers, including twenty hearths and the bones of cave bears. According to the museum, the flute discovered at the site is linked to the "end of the middle Pleistocene" and Neanderthals, around 55,000 years ago.

The excavation of the cave site was directed by Mitja Brodar from 1978 to 1986. Later, from 1989 to 1995, Ivan Turk and Janez Dirjec led the work at the site.

Neanderthal flute

In 1995, during an expedition led by Ivan Turk, a bone was discovered. Turk suggested the bone might be a musical artifact or a gnawed bone with tooth marks, but he believed it was more likely a musical instrument.

Turk and his colleagues described the bone as the oldest known musical instrument made by Neanderthals. He stated this is the strongest evidence of Neanderthal musical behavior. This instrument is at least 10,000 years older than the earliest wind instruments found in German caves like Hohle Fels, Geißenklösterle, and Vogelherd. The bone is displayed at the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana.

Some scientists debate whether the bone is a flute made by Neanderthals. They argue the holes may not be man-made. Archeologist Mitja Brodar, who studied the site before Turk, doubted the bone was made by Neanderthals. Others suggest the holes could have been caused by animals, such as carnivores, chewing the bone.

The National Museum of Slovenia claims evidence from 2005 showed the bone was not pierced by a bear bite. It states Neanderthals made the flute and that this proves their ability to create musical instruments. An experiment by Ljuben Dimkaroski showed the bone could be shaped into a working flute.

Scientists agree on the bone’s age, the presence of Neanderthals at the site, and the presence of carnivores. The main debate is whether the holes were made by Neanderthals or by animals. Key questions include:
– Were the holes made by animal teeth?
– Were the holes made by tools?
– Could the bone’s shape be from random chewing, or was it designed for music?

The bone is 11.4 cm long and is the left shaft of a femur from a young cave bear cub. Two complete holes are in the center, with two semicircular notches on either side. At the ends, there are broken areas and notches. The holes and notches are arranged in a line, except for one larger notch.

Near the holes, the outer bone layer is worn away, revealing a fibrous structure. Inside the bone, the holes have funnel-shaped breaks, which are common when bones are pierced. A V-shaped break on one end is thought to be a mouthpiece, and a similar break on the other end is thought to be a thumb hole.

The flute was found in a layer of soil called the Mousterian, which also had stone tools and hearths. This layer is below another layer with tools made by modern humans. Radiocarbon dating initially estimated the flute was 43,100 years old, but later tests using ESR dating placed its age between 50,000 and 60,000 years.

Some scientists argue the holes may have been made by animals chewing the bone. Other flutes from the Upper Paleolithic period show clear signs of human tools, such as cut marks, which are not present on the Neanderthal bone. Both ends of the bone show damage typical of animal gnawing.

Francesco D'Errico (1998) studied the bone and compared it to cave bear bones from areas without human activity. He found similar holes in bear bones, suggesting the Neanderthal bone may not be man-made. Nowell and Chase (1998) said the bone shows heavy gnawing by a carnivore and argued it could not have been used as a flute. Gerd Albrecht et al. (1998) said there was no confirmed evidence the bone was a flute. Ian Morley (2006) suggested the bone was shaped by animals, not humans. Cajus Diedrich (2015) thought hyenas might have made the holes.

Turk has written many articles arguing the bone was not made by animals. In 2001, his team made molds of bear, wolf, and hyena teeth and tested them on bear bones. They found:
– Only bear canine teeth could match the holes, but the shape of the teeth made it hard to align the bone correctly.
– Holes made by animal teeth have smooth edges, but the Neanderthal bone’s holes are rough and jagged.
– It would be impossible for an animal to make multiple holes in the thick, rigid center of the bone.