This was confirmed experimentally,in which chipped holes did not
have distinct traces of tools and were indistinguishable in general and in
detail from the holes on the flute as well as from holes experimentally
punctured by artificial canine teeth.In chipping holes,specific damage,
including breakage,occurred on the ventral side of pointed or tongued
tools,similar to damage to numerous similar tools from the site (figure
15.3).A stone tool also more or less furrows the edge of a hole.Traces
of such furrows (depressions) are present on the edges of both complete
holes,and are difficult to explain if we opt for the hypothesis that the
holes were made by a carnivore with teeth and subsequently enlarged
by weathering (see Chase and Nowell 1998).
A bone with holes that is reminiscent of a flute is a very rare find.In
all cases,they were made either accidentally by carnivores or by people
who lived in the middle Paleolithic.
The probability that an undetermined carnivore pierced a bone
several times and gave it the coincidental form of a flute without frag-
menting it into pieces is very small.If this probability were greater,it is
likely that there would have been more such finds,since there were at
least as many beasts of prey in the middle Paleolithic as people.In addi-246 Drago Kunej and Ivan Turk
Figure 15.3
Specific damage to the tip of the experimental tool (a,b) and similar damage to the tips
of Mousterian tools (c,d) from Divje babe I site.(Photo:I.Lapajne.)Fig.15.3(a) Fig.15.3(b)Fig.15.3(c) Fig.15.3(d)a b
c d