The first toys

On their birth day, children would receive their first gifts which of course were toys! Usually they were items that made noise, like rattles. They were mainly made from clay and occasionally from metal. Inside them were small beads that produced sound. Different shape rattles have been unearthed, the most common are bell­shaped, while others have human form and the most impressive ones have animal form. Small vessels that served as nursing bottles were included among the first ever toys children received. The pump had a small animal figure to ease the baby’s transition from breastfeeding to eating from a bottle. On the fifth or seventh day after the birth of a child, friends and family celebrated Amphidromia. During the ceremony, they lifted the newborn and carried him around the fire which was considered a family altar. After the ceremony family and friends gathered for a feast. In Athens the ceremony took place the tenth day after the birth of the child, were family gave the newborn its name and offered him toys, while in Rome they also offered the child a talisman, called bulla for boys and lunula for girls. The children would also receive gifts on their birthdays, at the beginning of the year and on religious holidays such as Anthesteria, a festival in honor of Dionysus.