Russian archaeologists discover ancient children's toys

Specialists conducted archaeological research in the centre of Moscow and found there ceramic children's toys of XVII-XIX centuries. This is reported by the press service of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the capital, through the portal Mos.ru.

Among the finds there are a small horse, a little man, a hen and the head of a figure of a man in a cap. The toys are planned to be put in order and transferred to the museum fund.

Head of the Department Aleksey Yemelyanov specified that the work was carried out at a depth of 2.5-4 metres. He especially noted the head of the little man with round eyes, which, according to him, still has not lost its charm.

"Studying ancient toys, we realise how close and understandable to us the inhabitants of Moscow of those distant centuries are. Parents also chose puppets and animal figures for their children, and they happily played in them," he noted.

The department explained that the citizens, both wealthy and poor, used to often buy items made of ceramics. The found objects demonstrate that the investigated area of the city was well developed during the mentioned period of time.

However, ceramic figurines are very fragile, making it rare for archaeologists to find them intact. The most durable are those covered with additional layers of liquid clay.

Earlier, specialists of the North-West Archaeological Expedition of the State Hermitage Museum discovered unique Bronze Age artefacts in the Smolensk region. Archaeologists called one of the most important finds of the 2024 field season a male ornament – a pendant made of boar tusks.

Photo: Mos.ru