First flute

The treasure of Divje Babe Cave

The Cave of Divje Babe (Wild Women's Cave) raised above the bed of river Idrijca below the village of Sebrelje, is a site providing rich evidence of human occupation in the prehistoric past that the Institute of the Archaeology of the Centre for Scientific Research of the Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts has begun to investigate more than fifteen years ago. Fossilized cave bear's hair, a rare specimen of its kind, was the first find that caused great excitement.

It was followed in 1995 by a bone flute found in the remains of a hearth used by Neanderthal man 45,000 years ago. The instrument was made from the femur of a bear, with two original holes intact. The lowest note was identified as B flat or A.

The spectacular find aroused great interest among scholars concerned with the Old Stone Age and attracted a lot of publicity both in Slovenia and abroad. The excavators were also offered an entry in the Guiness Book of World Records.