Bull-roarer

Musical instrument

Lalinde type, Dordogne

Magdalenian
21 000 to 14 000 years

Commentary : 

Bull-roarer functions by spining at the end of twisted cord. The characteristic sound is created by the brushing of air, against the edges of the elongated object.

The identification of prehistoric bull-roarers is based on analogous instruments, recently used in Australia and Africa, during certain rituals. The only prehistoric known examples date to the Magdalenian.

The bull-roarer from Lalinde is a unique object. In contrast to the animal representations typical of this period, it is decorated with a geometric motif.

This object, with its very particular form, decoration and sound, probably had a more significant social function, than that of a simple musical instrument.

The bull-roarer reflects the isolated work of an individual artist, or the expression of a tradition, shared by an entire Palaeolithic community.