Delicately carved from a piece of mammoth tusk, it looks more like a piece of decorative art or a musical instrument than an industrial tool.

But archaeologists have discovered that a section of ivory unearthed in Germany with four holes drilled along its length – each lined with intricate spirals – was actually prehistoric tool for making rope.

They have found that the device was used to twist plant fibres tightly into lengths of surprisingly strong rope.

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Archaeologists have discovered an eight inch long piece of mammoth ivory at a famous prehistoric site in Germany. The intricately carved tusk (pictured) was thought to be part of a musical instrument but new research has found that it may have actually be used to make rope

A PREHISTORIC ARTISTIC HOTSPOT The sandy sediments inside Hohle Fels have revealed some of the most precious treasures ever created by human hands. They are currently some of the oldest examples of prehistoric art and musical instruments. Among the items found in the cave are the oldest known Venus statue carved from a mammoths tusk and thought to be between 35,000 and 40,000 years old. Venus figures are widely believed to be symbols of fertility, but most date to the later Gravettian culture. Other figurines like those of a bird and a hybrid human-lion have been found at the site alongside some of the oldest musical instruments ever discovered. They suggest that culture among the prehistoric people who lived there was surprisingly sophisticated and the site had been a hotspot for art. But the new discovery also suggests it was a site of industrious activity, with ropes and other items being made. Advertisement

Now scientists have used replicas of the tool, which is thought to be around 40,000 years old, to demonstrate how rope was made during the Ice Age.

The spiral shaped incisions in each hole help to twist the plant fibres to give them extra strength as they are pulled through the holes and then the entire tool is rotated to wind them into a rope.

Dr Veerle Rots, a researchers in the centre for wear and residue studies in prehistory at the University of Liege, said: 'This tool answers the question of how rope was made in the Paleolithic, a question that has puzzled scientists for decades.'

The rope-making tool as unearthed in August last year at a cave in the Swabian Alps of Germany known as Hohle Fels.

The site, near Schelklingen, Germany, is famous for being home to some of the oldest prehistoric art and musical instruments ever found.

They include a Venus figurine and an ivory sculpture of a human-lion hybrid. Bone and ivory flutes have also been found in the cave.

Experts initially thought the rope making tool, which was about 8 inches long, could have been part of another form of musical instrument.

Others had suggested it was used as a tool for straightening arrow shafts.

Each hole is around a third of an inch (7-9mm) in diameter wide and lined with deep but precisely cut spiral incisions.

The researchers used experiments to recreate how the tool may have been used by threading reeds through the holes and twisting the tool to wind the fibres together (pictured)

Archaeologists have discovered an Ice Age tool that was used to make rope. Carved from mammoth tusk, it has four holes dripped through it, which were used to help wind up plant fibres into a tightly bound rope

Each hole was around a third of an inch wide and had intricate spirals cut into them (pictured). It is thought these help to grip the plant fibres to prevent them simply unravelling as the tool is twisted

Dr Rots and her colleague Professor Nicholas Conard, an archaeologist at the University of Tübingen, used plant fibres found near the Hohle Fels cave to test how it might have been used.

Their findings are published in the journal Archäologische Ausgrabungen Baden-Württemberg.

They found that by feeding reeds, cattail, pine root, inner bark and other plant fibers through the holes, they could then be twisted into a strong rope.

Pulling the reeds through the holes helps to shred them into fibres while the spiral cuts also help to prevent the fibres behind the tool from unravelling as they were being wound.

This means when they are twisted together, they provide greater strength than simply twisting the reeds together by hand.

Hohle Fels cave, where the rope making tool was found, sits in the Swabian Alps close to Schelklingen, in Germany (shown on map)

Experts initially believed the ivory had been part of a musical instrument or perhaps used to help straighten arrow shafts, but this did not explain the intricate spirals cut into the holes. The new research suggests it helped to create Ice Age rope from plant material

The ivory tool was found in similar layers to other artefacts such as prehistoric figurines. It was found amongst a concentration of mammoth ivory (pictured)

The researchers said it would have been impossible to figure out the use of the tool had it not been so well preserved.

The discovery could help to answer some key questions about how ropes, string and textiles were made in the Palaeolithic period and what they were used for.

The rope-making tool will be on exhibit at the Urgeschichtliches Museum in Blaubeuren.

The researchers found they could create strong ropes (pictured) using plant material from close to the cave where the ivory tool was made. They hope to now investigate how the ropes were used

Hohle Fels cave (pictured) is famous for being home to some of the oldest prehistoric sculptures and musical instruments ever discovered