After discovering 19 antiquated rattles, some of which date back at least 4,500 years, a Danish researcher told AFP on Friday that toy makers have existed for far longer than most people realize.
Mette Marie Hald, co-author of the study detailing the discovery, revealed her findings to AFP from the scientific journal “Childhood in the Past.”
Based on the low noise level of the rattles and the relatively small size of their handles, “we argue that the rattles served as toys to amuse and calm infants, rather than as musical instruments,” according to the paper’s summary.
Hald even suggested museum curators check their collections to see if items that were once considered religious artifacts turned out to be toys.
You could simply give your child a wooden spoon or stone, she said.
Parents had the option of spoiling their young children with more expensive options, even then.
Parents would go to the market and purchase professional-made toys, she explained, “4, 500 years ago.”
The National Museum of Denmark’s collections contain pieces of 19 clay rattles made in Hama, Syria, dating back to the Bronze Age.
The quality of the rattles, in Hald’s opinion, prevents the parents from making them.
She hopes that the discovery will encourage professionals to examine clay fragments more carefully because some light figurines end up being toys.
Although there are many varieties and they appear very funny, the researcher inquired as to whether these can be children’s toys because they are frequently regarded as religious figurines placed in temples.
These toys are difficult to identify because the majority of these finds are found as shattered fragments.
Source: Channels TV
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