‘Let My Son Play’: Toys and Games for the Children of the Ancient Near East

ABSTRACT

In the Ancient Near East, written and iconographic sources, and objects found in children's graves provide insight into children material culture. Rare finds, like clay figurines, miniature carts, and unique stone objects, suggest a mix of playthings and possibly ritual items. The presence of such items in children's tombs, different from adult burials, indicates a blend of practical and emotional elements in the burial ritual. The ambiguity surrounding these objects highlights the emotional and personal aspect of children's material culture, offering avenues on the complexity of their lives.

KEYWORDS:

• Child
• infant
• toy
• material culture
• social role
• grave goods
• ancient society

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Baxter (2005, 41–46).

2 Age reference: Newborn: 0–VI month, infant: VI month–2 years, young child: 2–6 years, child: 6–12 years, adolescent: 12–16 years. When referencing to multiple classes ‘juvenile’

3 Bulbulia (2004, 675–679) demonstrates that young children are not able to understand the sacred value of an object, and rather tend to see its practical, or imaginary value (a ladle that becomes a sword to defeat the dragon-fridge). Imagining, playing with what is available is a characteristic trait of the human mind and transcends culture.

4 Pezzulla (2018, Appendix 3) shows an experiment with 22 children, 1–6 years old, who were offered a basket containing votive objects and toys. The children under 2 years old played with all the objects available, while children 2–3 years old gradually began to avoid objects that were inappropriate for sexual reasons (boys avoid dolls for example). Only children over 3 years of age exclude objects of a votive nature. The cultural transmission that guides choices is closely linked to the child's ability to speak.

5 Arnold 2006, 153–154.

6 Pezzulla (2018, Appendix 1; 193–195) analyse the frequency of appearance of certain grave goods in 1287 children's burials carrying out a survey of the available literature on 42 different sites.

7 Pezzulla (2018, Appendix 1; 196–198) analyse the frequency of appearance of certain grave goods in 1645 children's burials carrying out a survey of the available literature on 31 different sites.

8 Vacca 2023, 53–54 consider the difficulty of defining this class of objects in the group of the toys due to its frequency even in adult burials.

9 Laneri (2004, 117) suggests that they do not have a recreational value, but rather a symbolic value linked to the idea of a journey into the afterlife. Kilmer (1993, 363), instead, counts them among toys.