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"Only a single
specimen of a worked bone with a hole bored through one widened end is
known from all of North America (referring to
the Murray Springs "wrench")."---2002,
Gary Haynes, "The Early Settlement Of North America, The Clovis Era," p.
122.
Pierced staff is a general term used to describe short lengths of antler, bone, ivory, or wood that have one hole of varying diameter located at one end. These similarly shaped artifacts were produced over a long period of time in Europe and North America. Although they may be similar in shape they were used for different purposes. Some examples may have been multi-functional, making a clear interpretation of their original purpose difficult. Authors will sometimes suggest a use for a pierced staff but say "it's a best guess." Evidence of the uncertainty is reflected in the names that have been used in publications to describe them, such as, baton, batons de commandement, pierced staff, pierced club, pierced baton, spear straightener, shaft straightener, shaft wrench, arrow straightener, spear straightener, spear throwers, thong smoothers, thong stropper, and spinning tool. |
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Pierced staffs first appear on Aurignacian sites in Europe approximately 30,000 years ago and they continued to be made until the end of the Magdalenian period approximately 11,000 years ago. In North America, the only example found on a Clovis site was discovered on the Murray Springs site in Arizona. The Murray Springs "wrench" is the oldest pierced staff found in the Americas. It dates to approximately 11,000 years ago. In the northern regions of North America, pierced staffs were being used much more recently by Eskimo cultures until European contact. Another example, illustrated in this article, from California was used by Hupa Indians in recent times. In Greenland, another type of pierced staff, with holes to small for arrow shafts, were used as thong smoothers. |
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The most elaborately decorated pierced staffs were made in Europe during the upper Paleolithic period. In describing the pierced staff from the Grotto of Montgaudier, illustrated in this article, Wilson writes in 1886, "The work is so fine that it requires a magnifying glass to bring out all its beauty." The most common image found on European pierced staffs are horses. Eskimo pierced staffs are also decorated with a wide variety of engraved and three-dimensional carvings of animals and humans. |
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The oldest and most famous pierced staff found in North America is the Murray Springs "wrench." It is often referred to as a shaft straightener, shaft wrench or bone wrench. This "wrench" is similar in shape and age to some of the European Upper Paleolithic examples. Although the European models were often decoratively engraved with images of animals, mostly horses, the Murray Springs "wrench" is plain. The interior of the hole does not show any polishing or rounding but it does have pronounced beveling at the top and bottom of the interior hole. |
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Pierced staffs are made of organic materials. Most examples from Europe were made from reindeer antler. Pierced staffs from North America and elsewhere were made from antler, bone, ivory and wood. They are not very long. The Murray Springs Clovis "wrench" measures 10 1/4 inches (25.9 cm) long. Other pierced staffs range in size from 10 to 12 1/2 inches (25 to 31.7 cm). |
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Some experiments have been done that show possible uses for pierced staffs. They do seem to work as tools to straighten the shafts of arrows, spears and lances. Many of the Upper Paleolithic pierced staffs are broken apart at the holes, indicating the area where the most stress was concentrated. The size of the holes along with interior beveling of the holes are also indicators that they may have been used for shaft straightening. Unless the hole is beveled a sharper edge will tend to crease of break the shaft. Larger holes would have been used to straighten heavier spears and lances. An example of a spear straightener might be the Murray Springs "wrench" which measures between 1 and 1 3/16 inches (2.5 to 3 cm) wide in the hole. Smaller holes that measure from 3/16 to 3/4 inch (10 to 19 mm) wide would suggest arrow shaft straighteners. Smooth rounded holes may indicate they were used to process fibers for making rope, baskets, sleds or hide boats. |
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Pierced staffs seem to be discovered singularly rather than in pairs. One experiment in shaft straightening suggested that two might be needed to accomplished the task of straightening a spear shaft. But they are not reported to be found in pairs. Pierced staffs have been found in burials. At the site of Grotte des Hoteaux in southwestern France, the burial of a 16 to 18 year old male was discovered in 1895 along with Magdalenian artifacts. The most significant artifact found was a pierced staff very similar in shape to the one found at Murray Springs. It was located at the right side lying in parallel with the femur. Another example is the excavation of an Eskimo burial at Ipiutak, Alaska, as reported by Larsen in 1948. The excavation produced a single and complete pierced staff that was described as an arrow straightener made of ivory. |
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The most common bone and antler artifacts found on Upper Paleolithic sites in Europe, next to awls, are pierced staffs. It's amazing that only one example has ever been found on Clovis sites in North America. It's even more amazing that the single example was found almost completely intact. Hopefully, another one will be discovered someday in the future. Pierced staffs have been used for an extraordinary length of time by many different cultures who were separated by great distances. No matter how they were used they were obviously necessary tools that stood the test of time. |
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"REFERENCES"
1897,
Hoffman, Walter James, "The Graphic Art Of The Eskimos,"
Annual Report Of The Smithsonian Institution, pp. 765. |
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