Faithful replicas of ancient Greek toys from the Benaki Toy Museum collection.
Archaeological excavations have brought to light many toys and votive objects related to children. Athyrmata, the ancient Greek word for toys or playthings, were made of clay, wood, fabric, bones and metal; they included dolls, whistles, rattles, balls, marbles, yoyos, tops, hoops and knucklebones, as well as replicas of animals, birds and little wagons on either two or four wheels drawn by horses. Some toys were created by children themselves out of fabric, wood, nuts and clay while others were made by their parents or bought from statuette-makers, who sold them at stands in the main squares during celebrations.
The toy΄replicas have been made according to the original ancient technique. They are altogether harmless for children to play with, but require adult supervision.
