Section Private Life: “Childhood” (Showcase 19)

Clay Figurines - Rattles
Among objects related to childhood, the visitor can see three clay rattles in the form of a pigeon. In their empty interiors, globules were placed during their construction to produce sound by movement.
The rattle, which the ancient Greeks called “platage”, was, as it is today, one of first toys of a baby. They were usually in the form of an animal or a bird so that toddlers could have a visual representation. Ancient writers report that the nurses used to swing the rattles above the cradle until the restless little children could fall asleep.
In our case, the three pigeons offer us a tender note of the everyday life of an Abderite family during the Classical - Hellenistic period.