Noisy Toys Nothing New, Says Bronze Age Evidence

If the holidays ushered in a few extra decibels of noise in your household as a result of an abundance of new children's toys, consider this: new evidence suggests that noisy toys were part of childhood since at least the Bronze Age.

According to a recent report in the London Telegraph, a British researcher has identified an enigmatic clump of bones and string found at a 4,000 year-old Bronze Age site as a simple toy that survived in Britain until the early 20th century.

The toy, made from a pig's metatarsal bones, is known as a "snorie bane" or snoring bone. It twirls and whirls to the delight of youngsters who are known to have lined up to claim the prize after the slaughtering of a pig.

According to the researcher, similar bone objects have been found in Viking and later sites. For more information, click Snoring Bones