A Prehistoric Double Phallus From the Enfer Gorge

And Its Purpose – Magic, a Symbol of Power, or a Dildo?

10.12.2025
7 min

The cover shows a small carved baton made from reindeer antler, created in the Upper Paleolithic. This term refers to the late phase of the Stone Age, when people could already make complex tools, jewelry, and intentional art: figurines, pendants, engravings, and cave paintings.

Archaeologists classify this object as a bâton percé. These are elongated bone or antler pieces with a hole near the base and engravings on the surface. They are usually made from bone or antler, shaped into a long form, and decorated with carving.

The baton was found in the late 19th century during excavations at the d’Abzac cave (French: Grotte d’Abzac), in the Enfer valley, in the Dordogne department of France. After its discovery, it was transferred to the National Archaeological Museum of France, where it is still kept today.

The age of this artifact is estimated at roughly 19,000 to 14,000 BCE. At that time, Europe was inhabited by hunter-gatherers — small nomadic groups who moved from place to place, followed animal herds, gathered wild plants, and at the same time developed a sophisticated artistic tradition. They made ornaments, carved images into bone and antler, and painted cave walls. Our baton belongs to what is known as mobile art — small objects that are easy to carry: figurines, pendants, carved bones, and similar items.

The baton’s shape resembles the letter Y. One end splits into two branches. Each branch is shaped as a phallus — a male sexual organ. The object is about 3.8 centimeters long in total. Both branches show clearly engraved details. We see two schematic, stereotyped phalluses with stylized glans shapes, diverging at an angle of about one hundred and twenty degrees.

Typically, bâtons percés are carved with abstract patterns: lines, strokes, simple geometric figures. Animal figures also appear at times. Phalluses on such objects are rare, and the presence of two phallic ends at once makes this particular baton unique among comparable finds.

The surface ornament resembles tattoo or scarification patterns. In other words, it looks like either drawings on skin or scars that form when the skin is intentionally cut and then allowed to heal. These elements likely imitate tattoos or scars on the skin of a male sexual organ.

Interpretations And Meaning

The purpose of this baton remains unclear. Archaeologists explain similar objects in different ways: as working tools, or as ornaments. For example, some such batons are associated with straightening the shafts of spears or arrows. At the same time, specialists emphasize that the same shape could serve different purposes in different places and at different times, so one interpretation cannot be mechanically transferred from one find to another.

In this case, the baton’s size and shape stand out. Its length is about four centimeters, and its form depicts a double phallus. This clearly distinguishes it from larger, more obviously “functional” batons. That is why many researchers lean toward the view that this particular object most likely had not a utilitarian function, but a symbolic or ritual one.

A Magical Object. By analogy with later cultures, this baton is often compared to the Roman fascinus. In Ancient Rome, this was the name for a small phallic-shaped amulet believed to be protective. People wore it as a charm against evil forces, the evil eye, and misfortune; sometimes they hung it around the neck or placed it in the home.

It is important to state the obvious: thousands of years separate the Paleolithic from Ancient Rome, so there can be no talk of a direct historical connection here. But the visual similarity and the broader idea of a phallic symbol as protection make it possible to draw cautious comparisons at the level of imagery.

A Symbol of Power. Another line of interpretation links this object to power and status. Some researchers suggest that what we have here is a kind of “staff of authority” — an item that signaled its owner’s special position within the group. In that case, the phallus functions as a symbol of power, strength, status, or fertility.

At the same time, science today cannot reliably answer whether matriarchy or patriarchy existed then. We do know that female images in Upper Paleolithic art — for example, the famous “Paleolithic Venuses” — clearly played an important role. But art alone does not allow us to reconstruct the distribution of power in a society with confidence.

The same applies to this baton. Its phallic form by itself does not tell us who dominated in the group — men or women — or whether there was any strict political hierarchy at all. If we look more broadly and compare with ethnographic data from other peoples, phallic symbols appear in many different types of societies.

That is precisely why the mere fact of a phallic-shaped baton gives us no reliable clue about how power worked among the makers of this object, or whether they had “official power” in our modern sense — with formal roles and a strict chain of subordination.

It is entirely possible that this baton was a personal object belonging to a specific person. It might have been the group’s most experienced hunter, or a ritual specialist — a kind of “ceremonial professional.” In that case, the baton could have served as a special status object, something like a personal totem.

A Sexual Function as a Dildo. There is another line of interpretation raised by queer historians — scholars who study the past while paying attention to the diversity of sexualities and gender roles.

Such researchers look closely at the shape and size of these batons and note that some of them fall within the range of what could function as a dildo. From their perspective, it would be dishonest to ignore the most obvious visual explanation. The logic is simple: if an object’s shape and size resemble something that could be used for sex, that possibility should not be crossed out immediately just because it makes some people uncomfortable.

Support for this version is sometimes drawn from ancient rock art. Such art does indeed include depictions of masturbation. On that basis, some scholars have suggested that certain artifacts may have been connected with masturbation or with broader sexual practices.

However, it is important to emphasize: not all such batons can be automatically declared “tools for masturbation.” That would be an overly simplistic, one-sided interpretation that ignores a complex ritual and social context.

Still, another point must be admitted honestly. The shape of some batons does, in theory, allow for sexual use. This includes scenarios in which such an object might have been used by two women. This remains one possible hypothesis. But, like the others, it cannot be proven: we have no direct sources that unambiguously confirm that specific use.

Unfortunately, today we do not have a definitive answer as to what function this baton served. We can describe different plausible scenarios, but none of the versions can be proven conclusively. Most likely, we will never have an absolutely precise answer.

🦴 This piece is part of the article series “Prehistoric LGBT History”:

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References and Sources

Angulo Cuesta J., García Diez M. Diversity and meaning of Palaeolithic phallic male representations in Western Europe, 2006.
Herkert K. Le vallon de Gorge d’Enfer et l’Abri du Poisson, 2012. [Herkert K. – The Gorge d’Enfer Valley and the Abri du Poisson]
Taylor T. Uncovering the prehistory of sex,