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Which musical instruments have been found from the Upper Paleolithic Period?

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The Venus of Willendorf, a small Upper Paleolithic limestone figurine with exaggerated female features and textured head, displayed against a black background. — Paleolithic Period The Venus of Willendorf, a Upper Paleolithic limestone figurine originally colored with red ochre, 30,000–25,000 bce, found at Willendorf, Lower Austria; in the Natural History Museum, Vienna.

During the Upper Paleolithic Period, humans developed sophisticated artistic traditions that included the creation of musical instruments. Archaeological evidence from this era primarily consists of flutes crafted from bone and ivory.1

A notable discovery is a partial bone or ivory flute found at Hohle Fels Cave near Ulm, Germany, which dates to approximately 35,000 years ago and features five finger holes. Additionally, broader archaeological findings indicate that other simple instruments, such as pipes and whistles, were also present during the Paleolithic Period. In contrast, there is little to no evidence regarding the existence of stringed instruments during prehistoric times, as the earliest specimens and iconographic records of such instruments do not appear until later periods in Mesopotamia and Egypt.123