When was the first flute invented and by whom?

The earliest flutes date back to around 40,000 BCE and were made from bone, mammoth ivory, and bird bone. The oldest known flutes were found in the Hohle Fels cave in southern Germany. These flutes were made from the bones of griffon vultures and are between 35,000 and 40,000 years old. It is believed that these flutes were used in rituals and ceremonies, as they were found buried in graves with other artefacts.