MOUSTERIAN MUSICIANSHIP? THE CASE OF THE DIVJE BABE I BONE

Summary.  The reputed Neanderthal ‘flute’ from the Slovenian site of Divje babe I has stimulated much interest and detailed research since the original publication of its discovery in 1997. In spite of nearly ten years' worth of analysis and discussion its status as an artefact has remained ambiguous; nevertheless it is still frequently cited as a ‘flute’. This paper examines the literature and research regarding this object, and finds that much of the ambiguity regarding the object's status derives from the literature itself. It concludes that there is no need to invoke hominin agency in explaining the features of the bone.