Around 30 axe‐shaped staffs sculpted as elk heads at the upper end have
been found from burials and settlement layers across a widespread area,
extending from the Baltic region to the Urals. These enigmatic items
made of antler were in use for a considerably long period from the Late
Mesolithic to the Early Metal Period, and depictions of elk‐head staffs
are also known from Stone Age rock art sites. Using two previously
misidentified elk‐head staff fragments from the Stone Age settlements of
Zvidze in Latvia and Veretye in Russia as examples, the authors examine
the role and function of elk‐head staffs. Special emphasis is put on
the fragmentation of the artefacts: the authors point out that elk‐head
staffs found in burials have been intact, whereas those found in
settlement layers have mostly been deliberately broken and discarded.
The authors thus interpret the elk‐head staffs as private items that
were closely associated with the undertakings of their owners.