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National Geographic
4 days ago
- Science
- National Geographic
These 4,500-year-old rattles may be among the world's oldest toys
Clay rattles made in Syria about 4,500 years ago were designed to 'amuse and calm' infants, according to a new study. But some archaeologists think they were used in rituals to dispel evil spirits, or that they might have served both purposes. 'They have little handles that are too small for me, and I have quite small hands,' says archaeologist Mette Marie Hald from the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. 'They are for infants or toddlers.' In the new study published in the journal Childhood in the Past, Hald and her co-authors describe artifacts kept by the museum after excavations of an ancient mound in Hama in Syria in the 1930s. The possible playthings are among the oldest toys in the archaeological record. (Who made these unusual ancient 'puppets'—and left them atop a pyramid?) Early excavations Many of the artifacts ended up in museums throughout the Middle East, including Syria's National Museum of Damascus. But the expedition members took some back to Denmark, where they were placed in storage until Hald and her colleagues re-examined them. The new analysis has established that at least 21 of the clay fragments come from rattles made between about 4,500 and 4,000 years ago, during the Early Bronze Age, when Hama was one of several ancient city-states in the region. Hald says part of one rattle had been misidentified as a 'sieve' because it contained holes; and the hollow handle of another was mislabeled as 'piping.' Examples of handles and bodies from the Hama rattle assemblage are superimposed over the outline of a complete rattle from another site in Syria called Al-Zalaqiyat. Photoillustration by G. Mouamar, the National Museum of Denmark Bronze Age rattles or wards against evil? The analysis shows the fragments are almost identical in style and size to an unbroken rattle found at an ancient cemetery a few miles north of Hama, named Al-Zalaqiyat, and to rattles from other Early Bronze Age sites now held at the museum in Damascus. Those rattles were filled with pebbles or small clay pellets, to make a noise when they were shaken—similar to some modern baby toys—and so the authors suggest they were designed for small children to play with. Some archaeologists have proposed that the rattles were 'apotropaic'—meaning the noise they made was designed to ward off evil spirits—or that they were used as musical instruments. But the study's lead author, archaeologist Georges Mouamar of the National Museum of Denmark and the French research agency CNRS, carried out experiments with the rattle from Al-Zalaqiyat and determined it was too small to have made much noise. 'It just made a tiny little sound,' Hald says. 'It wouldn't have been very entertaining as a musical instrument.' The Hama fragments were also found in what had been a domestic neighborhood, rather than a temple or a burial ground; and this strengthened the idea they were used by children, Hald says. The analysis also determined that the Hama fragments were made from the same distinctive mix of clays as commercial pottery from the ancient city—implying the rattles were made by professional potters for sale at street markets to parents. The Hama rattles seem well-finished, with intricate designs in pottery glaze that support the idea they were made by professionals, Hald says. Hama was a regional center during the Early Bronze Age, and so the rattles may have been mass produced there for sale elsewhere. Other types of rattles have been found in other parts of Syria and the Middle East—rattles shaped like animals, for example, are often found in northern Syria—and so it is likely local potters made them in locally popular styles, she says. Fragments of 4500-year-old baby rattles match the chemical makeup of other ceramic housewares from Hama. Photograph by John Fhær Engedal Nissen, the National Museum of Denmark The new study has stirred debate among experts over whether the Hama rattles and others like them served a ritual or playful purpose. Archaeologist Elynn Gorris of Belgium's University of Louvain, who was not involved in the study, is concerned that the Hama rattles, while small, would have been too large and heavy for babies to hold. But she allows that they would have been suitable for toddlers. Gorris notes that similar rattles have been found at archaeological sites in the Americas—including a similar rattle from California that may be up to 1,000 years old—where evidence indicates they were used traditionally in rituals and for making music, as they still are today. But 'this is not about wrong or right—this is an inclusive story,' she says. 'These could have been used by toddlers, but that doesn't exclude the fact that they could have been percussion instruments to keep rhythm for adults, for lullabies or for ritual songs.' Archaeologist Kristine Garroway, a professor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles who has studied clay rattles from the ancient Levant, is 'very convinced' by the study's findings. But she also thinks the rattles may have had a 'dual use,' first as apotropaic devices to scare evil spirits from homes and then as noisemakers to amuse small children. 'These could have been used in multiple different ways,' she says. (What can we learn from a Bronze Age lunchbox?) If the rattles are toys, then they are some of the earliest that survive—other contenders include a 5000-year-old chariot from Turkey and a 4000-year-old stone head, possibly from a doll, from an Italian island. The fact the researchers are thinking about ancient children is important, notes Garroway: 'Children get overlooked in the archaeological record, [so] to even stop and think that children could have been using these objects is amazing.' For Hald, all the evidence indicates the Hama rattles were designed to keep small children entertained. 'Parents in the past loved their children, just as we do today,' she says. 'But perhaps parents also needed to distract their children now and then so that they could have a bit of peace and quiet to themselves. Today, we use screens, back then it was rattles.'
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
4,500-year-old baby rattles discovered in Syria — made from clay. See the toys
In an ancient city in western Syria, the remains of an 'ordinary' neighborhood were excavated in the early 1930s. It was small but held a pottery production center and a temple, and may have acted as a destination for pilgrims. It was also a place where regular people, the non-elites, lived out their lives thousands of years ago. Nine decades after the site was first excavated, new analysis of pottery pieces found in the city show ancient parents wanted the same thing parents seek today — some peace and quiet. A total of 19 pottery pieces were found from the Early Bronze Age in the city of Hama, and were made in the material and style of the local skilled potters, according to a May 19 news release from the National Museum of Denmark. The pieces were handles that would then have been attached to orb-like structures, researchers said, making a kind of maraca-like item. The orbs likely 'contained little pieces of clay or small pebbles, which enabled the production of sound,' but 'the noise they make is so low' researchers eliminated the 'possibility that they might have been used as musical instruments,' according to the release. Instead, they were likely used as baby rattles. 'The rattle fragments are decorated with painted bands of mainly dark buff/reddish/black color; either thick bands, smaller single or double horizontal bands, or diagonal/spiral painted lines,' according to a study on the finds published April 30 in the peer-reviewed journal Childhood in the Past. 'In some cases, the end of the handle is decorated with a painted circular or a cross motif.' The rattles weren't found in rooms, researchers said, but rather in the fill layer between building levels. They were often found together in a single area. The earliest rattle dates to 2450 B.C., while the youngest came from another level dated to between 2300 and 2000 B.C., making all the rattles more than 4,000 years old, according to the study. The clay mixture, a calcareous clay with other essential minerals, is the same as what was used by the skilled potters in the workshop, researchers said. This means the rattles were likely part of their regular production, and may have been sold on the market along with cups and bowls. 'It shows us that parents in the past loved their children and invested in their wellbeing and their sensorimotor development, just as we do today,' Mette Marie Hald, a study author and researcher at the National Museum of Denmark, said in the release. 'Perhaps parents also needed to distract their children now and then so that they could have a bit of peace and quiet to themselves. Today, we use screens, back then it was rattles.' The handles themselves are small, fit to a child's hand, again suggesting they were used as a toy as opposed to an instrument or something utilitarian, researchers said. 'When you find items such as these, the tendency in archaeology has been to interpret them as musical instruments or even cultic objects when, really, they are something much more down-to-earth and relatable such as toys for children,' Hald said. One of the oldest known baby rattles was found in an infant burial in northern Mesopotamia, dating to the Ubaid period between 5300 and 5000 B.C., according to the study. The rattles became widespread in the third millennium B.C., researchers said, sometimes made of clay while other times made from gourds or other material. Toys became more widespread as there started to be professionalized industries, even in places like Hama, and men and women started to both hold a form of a job outside the home, according to the study. 'I hope that this will provide us with a greater insight into the world of children in the past. From an economic point of view, it is fascinating that already 4500 years ago, there was an actual market for commercial toys,' Hald said. 'At the same time, it is touching to get a glimpse of a family's everyday life — perhaps a parent stopped at a market stand on their way home and bought a rattle as a present for their child. This scenario is entirely recognizable to us today.' Hama is in western Syria, roughly a 60-mile drive east from the Mediterranean Sea. The research team includes Hald, Georges Mouamar, Stephen Lumsden and Agnese Vacca.
The Star
20-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
Rattling the past: How ancient toys shake up our understanding of childhood
Toymakers have been around far longer than many people realise, a Danish researcher told AFP Friday after the discovery of 19 ancient rattles some dating back at least 4 500 years. Mette Marie Hald, co-author of the study detailing the discovery published in the scientific journal "Childhood in the Past", laid out her findings to AFP. "We argue that the rattles served as toys to amuse and calm infants, rather than as musical instruments, based on the low noise level of the rattles and the relatively small size of their handles," says the summary of the paper. Hald even suggested museum curators should take a second look at their collections in case objects originally classified as religious artefacts were actually carefully crafted toys. "If you wanted to entertain your child, you could just give them a wooden spoon or a stone," she said. But even then, parents had the option to spoil their young ones with fancier alternatives. "4 500 years ago, parents would go to the market and buy toys made by professionals," she explained. Researchers discovered pieces of 19 clay rattles made in Hama, Syria, dating back to the Bronze Age, in the collections of the National Museum of Denmark. According to Hald, the quality of the rattles means they couldn't have been made by the parents themselves. She hopes the discovery will encourage professionals to look at clay fragments more carefully because other objects, light figurines, might turn out to be toys. "They are often considered religious figurines placed in a temple ... but we wonder if these can be toys made for children, as there is a lot of variety and they look very funny," the researcher noted. Mostly, such finds are unearthed as shattered fragments so the toys are difficult to recognise. As such, researchers have developed an identification guide specifically designed to identify rattles.
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Science
- IOL News
Rattling the past: How ancient toys shake up our understanding of childhood
Rattles from the past offer a glimpse into the world of ancient childhood and the toymakers who shaped it. Toymakers have been around far longer than many people realise, a Danish researcher told AFP Friday after the discovery of 19 ancient rattles some dating back at least 4 500 years. Mette Marie Hald, co-author of the study detailing the discovery published in the scientific journal "Childhood in the Past", laid out her findings to AFP. "We argue that the rattles served as toys to amuse and calm infants, rather than as musical instruments, based on the low noise level of the rattles and the relatively small size of their handles," says the summary of the paper. Hald even suggested museum curators should take a second look at their collections in case objects originally classified as religious artefacts were actually carefully crafted toys. "If you wanted to entertain your child, you could just give them a wooden spoon or a stone," she said. But even then, parents had the option to spoil their young ones with fancier alternatives. "4 500 years ago, parents would go to the market and buy toys made by professionals," she explained. Researchers discovered pieces of 19 clay rattles made in Hama, Syria, dating back to the Bronze Age, in the collections of the National Museum of Denmark. According to Hald, the quality of the rattles means they couldn't have been made by the parents themselves. She hopes the discovery will encourage professionals to look at clay fragments more carefully because other objects, light figurines, might turn out to be toys. "They are often considered religious figurines placed in a temple ... but we wonder if these can be toys made for children, as there is a lot of variety and they look very funny," the researcher noted. Mostly, such finds are unearthed as shattered fragments so the toys are difficult to recognise. As such, researchers have developed an identification guide specifically designed to identify rattles.
Observer
18-05-2025
- Science
- Observer
Toymakers were around 4,500 years ago: study
Toymakers have been around far longer than many people realise, a Danish researcher told AFP Friday after the discovery of 19 ancient rattles some dating back at least 4,500 years. Mette Marie Hald, co-author of the study detailing the discovery published in the scientific journal "Childhood in the Past", laid out her findings to AFP. "We argue that the rattles served as toys to amuse and calm infants, rather than as musical instruments, based on the low noise level of the rattles and the relatively small size of their handles," says the summary of the paper. Hald even suggested museum curators should take a second look at their collections in case objects originally classified as religious artefacts were actually carefully crafted toys. "If you wanted to entertain your child, you could just give them a wooden spoon or a stone," she said. But even then, parents had the option to spoil their young ones with fancier alternatives. "4,500 years ago, parents would go to the market and buy toys made by professionals," she explained. Researchers discovered pieces of 19 clay rattles made in Hama, Syria, dating back to the Bronze Age, in the collections of the National Museum of Denmark. According to Hald, the quality of the rattles means they couldn't have been made by the parents themselves. She hopes the discovery will encourage professionals to look at clay fragments more carefully because other objects, light figurines, might turn out to be toys. "They are often considered religious figurines placed in a temple ... but we wonder if these can be toys made for children, as there is a lot of variety and they look very funny," the researcher noted. Mostly, such finds are unearthed as shattered fragments so the toys are difficult to recognise. As such, researchers have developed an identification guide specifically designed to identify rattles. —AFP
