It’s 60,000 Years Old! This Is the Oldest Musical Instrument in the World

Key Takeaways

• The earliest known musical instruments are made from animal bones.

• These instruments are tens of thousands of years old.

• Scientists found these instruments using careful dating methods and studied the holes to confirm they were man made.

• These findings tell us that music has been part of human life since the Stone Age, long before written history began.

Music is known to be one of the oldest forms of human expression. Every culture in the world, no matter how old or new, has some form of music.

That is why to celebrate the importance of music, World Music Day is observed on June 21 every year. This day reminds us that music connects people across countries, languages, and even time periods.

But have you ever wondered how old music actually is? Long before guitars, pianos, or even simple drums existed, human beings were making music with different instruments. Archaeologists have dug up proof of this from caves in Europe, and what they found changed how we understand human history. So which is the oldest musical instrument in the world and how old is it really? Let us find out.

Which is the Oldest Musical Instrument in the World?

The oldest musical instrument in the world is a bone flute. There are two famous ancient flutes that are often discussed together because both are extremely old, but one is slightly more debated than the other.

The first is the Divje Babe flute, found in Slovenia. The flute from Divje babe is considered the oldest known musical instrument in the world and the best evidence we have for music among Neanderthals. It is made from a cave bear bone and has four holes.

The second is the Hohle Fels flute, found in Germany. This flute is made from griffon vulture bone and is considered the oldest handcrafted musical instrument that scientists agree was definitely made by human hands, since the Divje Babe flute is still debated by some researchers.

So in simple terms: the Divje Babe flute claims the title of oldest flute, while the Hohle Fels flute is the oldest one that almost all scientists fully agree on.

Facts About the Oldest Instruments

• The Divje Babe flute is made from the femur (thigh bone) of a cave bear.

• It has four holes, two of which are well preserved.

• The Hohle Fels flute is made from the wing bone of a griffon vulture, which is naturally hollow.

• Flute fragments found near Hohle Fels at a site called Geissenklösterle have been dated to around 35,000 years ago.

• A separate flute carved from mammoth bone was also found near Stuttgart in the Swabian Alps and may be around 37,000 years old.

• A Slovenian musician once played a piece of classical music on a clay replica of the Divje Babe flute, and it produced clear, pleasant notes.

FAQs

Q1. What is the oldest musical instrument in the world?

The Divje Babe flute from Slovenia is often called the oldest known flute, while the Hohle Fels flute from Germany is the oldest one that scientists widely agree on.

Q2. How old is the oldest musical instrument?

The Divje Babe flute is believed to be at least 50,000 to 60,000 years old. The Hohle Fels flute is around 35,000 to 43,000 years old.

Q3. What material were ancient flutes made from?

They were mostly carved from animal bones, such as cave bear bone, vulture bone, swan bone, and mammoth ivory.

Q4. Who made the oldest flute?

The Divje Babe flute is believed to have been made by Neanderthals. The Hohle Fels flute was made by early modern humans.

Q5. Where were these ancient flutes found?

They were found in caves in Slovenia and Germany.

Music has been a part of human life for tens of thousands of years. The discovery of ancient bone flutes in caves across Europe shows that even our earliest ancestors found ways to create sound and rhythm long before recorded history began.