in 2008, archaeologists discovered a bone flute in the hohle fels cave near ulm, germany. the five-holed flute has a v-shaped mouthpiece and is made from a vulture wing bone. the discovery is the oldest confirmed find of any musical instrument in history. other flutes were also found in the cave. this flute was found next to the venus of hohle fels and a short distance from the oldest known human carving. when they announced their discovery in 2009, the scientists suggested that the find showed that there was a well-established musical tradition when humans colonized europe.