Art Resource - ART201927

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Bone flute, Paleolithic (Perigordian), about 32,000 years old. The oldest known musical instruments in western Europe appear about 35,000 years ago at the same time as fully modern people like ourselves. Cave paintings, sculpture and jewellery also date from this period. Flutes carved from bone are the oldest recognizable type of instrument. This example from La Roque, Dordogne, France has five holes on the front and two on the back. With the top end blocked except for a small airway it could have been played like a modern recorder. It is similar to 30,000 year-old flutes made on swan wing bones that have been found at Isturitz, France. However, the rockshelter at La Roque contained 30,000 year-old deposits which had been disturbed more recently in the Middle Ages. As a result its age is uncertain. P AND EE, Christy Collection

Location British Museum/London/Great Britain

Unique Identifier ART201927

Type Image

Purpose Public

Size 4444px × 2056px

Photo Credit Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY

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