Ancient Flutes

The New York Times reported on June 25 that several flutes dating back over 35,000 years have been found in or around the Hohle Fels Cave in the hills west of Ulm in southwestern Germany.  There are two made from mammoth ivory, one from the wing bone of a mute swan and the most recently discovered, from a bone from a griffin vulture.  This instrument has five holes, is about eight and a half inches long and has a V-shaped blow hole that looks similar to the Andes end-blown flutes often seen played around Times Square.  A wooden replica of one of the ivory flutes was made, tried out and found to be "quite harmonic."  Sounds as though the caves of southwestern Germany were alive with music 35,000 years ago.