“Staffs With Elk Heads” in the Culture of the Ancient Population of the Eastern Urals, Northern and Eastern Europe

Elk‐head Staffs in Prehistoric North‐eastern Europe and North‐western Russia – Signs of Power and Prestige?

“…Altogether, around 30 elk‐head staffs made of antler have been found from north‐eastern Europe and north‐western Russia (see Zhulnikov and Kashina , 72 for a listing of the items). The exact number is difficult to determine, however, as most of the known staffs are more or less fragmented, which also prevents a detailed comparison of these items.…”

“…It is possible to divide the elk‐head staffs into two groups according to size, although their precise dimensions are often mere estimations due to their fragmentation (Zhulnikov and Kashina , 72). The intact staffs from YOO (Gurina ), Šventoji 3B (Rimantienė ) and Tok River (Bogdanov ) are very similar in size (41–47 cm in length), and it seems probable that they were made according to an established canon.…”

“…Approximately one‐third of the staffs come from burials, whereas the rest have been discovered in settlement sites. Staffs found in burials come from solitary graves (Tok River) as well as from cemeteries (YOO, Zvejnieki, Oleneostrovskiy), where the staffs have been encountered in single, double and collective burials (see Zhulnikov and Kashina , 73). With one possible exception, the large staffs have been discovered adjacent to adult male skeletons.…”

“…It thus appears that elk‐head staffs – at least the small ones – were not exclusively connected to masculinity, as suggested earlier (cf. Zhulnikov and Kashina , 73). Similarly, the elk‐head staffs themselves do not merely depict female elks, even if the vast majority are shown without antlers.…”

“…Similarly, the elk‐head staffs themselves do not merely depict female elks, even if the vast majority are shown without antlers. Four of the small staffs from Oleneostrovskiy have antlers and the fragmented staff from Annin Ostrov has stubs that indicate shed antlers (Zhulnikov and Kashina , 72–3). That said, however, it is probably not a coincidence that most of the staffs have been found in male burials and that they predominantly represent hornless animals.…”