ARTICLE OF THE DAY

Description and function‌

Bâtons percés are made from a length of antler with a round hole made in one end, and often have abstract or animal designs etched into them (such as horses). They have been found at Aurignacian and Magdelanian sites of the Upper Palaeolithic in Europe, with examples dating from 23,000 to 12,000 years ago. They have a joint at one end, often forming a T or Y shape, but always with a swelling of the antler at that end. There is a circular hole drilled through the antler just below the swelling or joint, and often a smaller second hole nearby on the shaft. Typical examples range from 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) in length.One unusual bone baton from Le Souci has a row of eight holes of different sizes.The purpose of the bâton percé was originally thought to be as a symbol of power or status, hence the early name ‌bâton de commandement‌, or ‌rod of command‌, given by Louis Laurent Gabriel de Mortillet. This interpretation is now thought unlikely; one French archaeologist wrote derisively of the name summoning up the image of "an aged general... directing... an assault on a mammoth". Other interpretations include:
• An arrow or spear straightener, with the shaft to be straightened passing through the hole
• A spear thrower
• A symbol of fertility, with the long handle as a male phallic symbol, and the hole as representing the vagina
• A dress fastener
• A calendar used by midwives
• A tool for smoothing and shaping leather thongs.
The British Museum "scope note" for "Perforated baton" says in 2011: "They are now understood to [be] implements used in the manufacture and throwing of spears."Focusing only on what the objects were used for does not, however, account for why they were decorated.