The Divje Babe flute, also known as tidldibab, is a cave bear bone with holes drilled in it at regular intervals. It was discovered in 1995 during organized archaeological digs led by the Institute of Archaeology of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts near Cerkno in northwestern Slovenia. Scientists believe it may have been made by Neanderthals as a musical instrument, and it is often called the Neanderthal flute. The artifact is displayed in the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana as a Neanderthal flute. If true, it would be the world's oldest known musical instrument.

This claim has faced strong disagreement and debate among scientists. No other Neanderthal musical instruments have been found, and such a discovery from the Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian) period might suggest that Neanderthals had symbolic behaviors previously unknown.

Site

The 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. Scientists who studied the site found more than 600 archaeological items in at least ten layers, including twenty fire pits and the bones of cave bears. The museum reported that the flute found there is linked to the "end of the middle Pleistocene" and to Neanderthals, around 55,000 years ago.

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

Neanderthal flute

The bone was found during a 1995 expedition led by Ivan Turk. When he discovered it, he suggested it might be a musical object or a bone that had been chewed and had teeth marks, but he thought it was more likely a musical item.

Turk and his team described the bone as a musical instrument made by Neanderthals from Divje Babe I. They believe it is the oldest known musical instrument. Turk says it is the strongest proof that Neanderthals made music. It is at least 10,000 years older than the earliest wind instruments found in German caves like Hohle Fels, Geißenklösterle, and Vogelherd. The instrument is displayed at the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana.

Some people disagree whether the bone is a flute made by Neanderthals. They say the holes may not have been made by humans. Archeologist Mitja Brodar, who studied the site before Turk, doubted the bone was made by Neanderthals. Others think the holes might have been made by animals chewing the bone, and they believe a carnivore, like a bear, could have created them.

The National Museum of Slovenia says evidence from 2005 showed the bone was not pierced by a bear bite. They say it is clear that Neanderthals made the bone and that it is important for understanding their abilities and the development of music and speech. An experiment by Ljuben Dimkaroski showed that the bone could be used as a musical instrument.

Scientists agree that the bone is about 11.4 cm long and was part of a young cave bear’s leg bone. On one side, there are two complete holes and two semicircular notches. On the other side, there is a semicircular notch in the broken end. Turk said the holes and notches are lined up and look similar, except for the largest notch.

Near the holes, some of the bone is worn down, and there are tiny scratches. Inside the bone, the edges of the holes have a funnel shape, which is typical of holes made by piercing the bone. The largest notch does not have this shape.

On one end of the bone, there is a V-shaped break, and Turk thought this might have been a mouthpiece. On the other end, there is a similar break that Turk believed could have been a thumb hole for playing the flute.

The bone was found in a layer of soil called the Mousterian level, which had stone tools and fire pits. This layer was below another layer called the Aurignacian level, which had tools made by modern humans. Many large animals, including carnivores, lived at the site.

Radiocarbon dating of the fire pit suggested the bone was about 43,100 years old. Later tests using ESR dating showed the bone is between 50,000 and 60,000 years old.

Some people argue the holes might have been made by an animal chewing the bone, and that the shape looks like a flute by chance. Other flutes from the Upper Paleolithic period were made with tools, but the Neanderthal bone has no signs of human tools, like cut marks. Both ends of the bone show damage typical of animal chewing.

Francesco D'Errico (1998) compared the bone to other bear bones and found similar holes in bones from the same site. He said the holes were not proof of human activity. Nowell and Chase (1998) said the bone was heavily chewed by a carnivore and that the holes were likely made by an animal’s teeth. Gerd Albrecht and others (1998) said there was no proof the bone was a flute. Ian Morley (2006) said the bone was likely chewed by animals over time. Cajus Diedrich (2015) suggested hyenas might have made the holes.

Turk has written many articles arguing against the idea that animals made the holes. In 2001, his team made copies of animal teeth and used them to pierce bear bones. They found:
– Only bear canines could make the holes, but the shape of the teeth made it hard to create the holes in the right way.
– Holes made by canines have smooth edges, but the Neanderthal bone has rough, jagged edges.
– It would be impossible for an animal to make two or more holes in the thick, hard center of the bone.