Archaeologists reported on Wednesday the discovery last fall of a bone flute and two fragments of ivory flutes that they said represent the earliest known flowering of music-making in Stone Age culture.

The bone flute with five finger holes, found at the Hohle Fels Cave in the hills west of Ulm, Germany, was “by far the most complete of the musical instruments so far recovered from the caves” in a region where pieces of other flutes have been turning up in recent years.

A three-hole flute carved from mammoth ivory was uncovered a few years ago at another cave, as well as two flutes made from wing bones of mute swan.

Until now, the artifacts appeared to be too rare and not as precisely dated to support wider interpretations of the early rise of music. The earlier solid evidence of musical instruments had previously come from France and Austria.

In an article published online by the journal Nature, Nicholas J Conard of the University of Tübingen, in Germany, and colleagues wrote: “These finds demonstrate the presence of a well-established musical tradition at the time when modern humans colonised Europe.”

Samples from the bones and associated material were tested independently by two laboratories, in England and Germany, using different methods. Scientists said the data agreed on ages of at least 35,000 years old.