Posted on 05/09/2015 6:54:14 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
An Ancient Thracian bronze artifact in the shape of a stork's head described as "the oldest children's toy in Europe" has been identified by Bulgarian archaeologists among archaeological items found by local residents in the area of the southern town of Zlatograd in the Rhodope Mountains.
The Thracian toy is made of bronze mixed with some silver, and is dated to the Late Bronze age, about 1500-1200 BC, the period of Ancient Troy and the Civilization of Mycenae.
It consists of a tripod holding what appears to be a stork's head which can move and "drink water"; it weighs 30 grams. The stork's eyes are made of carnelian -- a semi-precious gemstone found in the Rhodope Mountains in Southern Bulgaria, reports the Bulgarian National Television.
The 3,500-year-old bronze children's toy has been discovered by locals near the town of Yagnevo, Kirkovo Municipality, and together with other archaeological artifacts has bought out by local businessman Alexander Mitushev, a collector who owns a private ethnographic complex in the town of Zlatograd...
Bulgarian scholars, including Assoc. Prof. Krasimir Leshtakov who teaches prehistory and archaeology at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", believe that the artifact is the only children's toy found the Late Bronze age found so far, and the oldest known children's toy in Europe...
To illustrate his point, Ovcharov adds that this was the time described by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey when the Thracians, their wine, and the magical Rhodope Mountains were cherished; the Thracians' Rhodope Mountains were also mentioned by Herodotus who described them as the "Holy Mountain" together with the central sanctuary of god Dionysus discovered by Ovcharov in the rock sanctuary in Perperikon.
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeologyinbulgaria.com ...
"The oldest children's toy in Europe" consists of a tripod holding the movable head of a stork with eyes made of carnelian -- a semi-precious gemstone found in the Rhodope Mountains in Southern Bulgaria. It is pictured here with the restored all three legs of its tripod. Photo: TV grab from BNT
“a yo-yo?”
I certainly is interesting but I cant understand how they determined that it was a child’s toy.
a toy with precious gemstones for eyes seems a bit much for a child.
The kid was a spoiled royal child.
Evidently so....
Anyway, stepping on a lego is no picnic, but how'd you like to trod that that thing while making your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night?
I think it was made for a businessman to display on his desk. Like today’s balls bouncing off of each other.
I would theorize the moveable head could be used to point toward the direction the military campaign might be headed.
Might be missing a critical part. You could place cloth on top of the tripod part and use the bird head to keep the cloth in place. This could then cover something like food or incense without the cloth touching it, and also keep insects away.
An early version of lawn darts.
It’s a bit pointy for a child’s toy. I think the chart weight makes more sense.
What’s fun about that?
Like Irwin Mainway’s “Bag o’ Glass” it taught kids that the world was a dangerous place and to be careful.
I had one of those as a kid. I used to get a clothespin and attach a playing card to it so it would sound like a motorcycle.
“No, Ralphie, you’ll peck your eye out.”
you could put an eye out with that thing!
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