Dolls, Toys and Sport: Visualizing Childhood in Antiquity

                                                                     Written by Arefin Q.

                                                                            (2006)

      A trip to the Onassis Cultural Center in Manhattan brings new meaning to the terms childhood and art. The exhibition, Coming of Age in Ancient Greece: Images of Childhood from the Classical Past, transports the viewer into a foreign civilization through a beautiful visual representation of the lives of young boys and girls in Greece over two thousand years ago.

     Upon entering the display room, one immediately notices a statue of a four-year-old boy. He is bald and is dressed as a philosopher. The parent’s wishes for the boy’s future are obvious at this early age. Like today, children are influenced most by individual experiences they have early in their lives. Apparently, the people of ancient Greece were well aware of this before any modern day psychological studies!

     While many aspects of ancient Greek childhood remain unknown, the representation of children on Athenian pottery, an important part of this exhibit, reveals much about the way children lived. Girls played with dolls and developed dexterity and hand-eye coordination by juggling apples or balls of wool. Types of games enjoyed by boys and girls were ephedrismos, astragaloi (knucklebones), and even an ancient form of jacks called pentalithoi. Children are also depicted on seesaws. The images of children playing with pets such as birds, dogs and cats are especially touching.

     The final part of this exhibition is dedicated to the Olympics and the importance that the Greeks placed on the nurturing of the body as well as the mind. Instead of gold, silver and bronze medals typically awarded today, the ancient Greeks rewarded their champions with vases of oil adorned with intricate designs. The winner’s moment of glory was immortalized on a vase showing the significance of his accomplishment. Bronze statuettes like the Diskobolos or discus thrower were often “dedicated at sanctuaries like Olympia, presumably by victorious athletes, either in thanks for a victory achieved or in hopes of one.” (catalogue, p.52)

     This was a delightful and unforgettable learning experience. To learn that children sat on the floor and entertained themselves with a simple toy thousands of years ago is astounding. A visit to this exhibit is strongly recommended for young and old.