A name given to perforated batons made of antler of the Upper Palaeolithic period in western Europe. They are usually some 30 cm long, but are often broken. The perforation is smooth and round, usually a few centimetres in diameter. The antler widens out at the point of branching and this is where the hole is usually made. They are typical of the Magdalenian period, but are found as early as the Aurignacian, some 30,000 years ago. A number of explanations of their function have been offered; ‘staffs of office’, as implied by the French name, is not a likely explanation. They are more likely to have been used as straighteners of wood and antler strips for use in composite spears.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied