Medieval Toy Unearthed in Poland

News February 29, 2024

Poland Horse Figurine
(Małgorzata Jarovka-Krzemkowska/The Provincial Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Torun)
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Poland Horse Figurine

TORUŃ, POLAND—Knewz.com reports that an 800-year-old horse figurine was found during an excavation conducted as part of the construction of a new fire station in Toruń, a medieval town on the Vistula River in north-central Poland. The small clay horse was glazed and has a hole in its underside. Researchers think a stick may have fit into the hole so that playing children could pretend to make the horse gallop or use it as a puppet. The excavation also uncovered traces of a medieval tower, pottery fragments, a buckle, a knife sheath made of bone, and an amber ring. To read about pig figurines found at a Bronze Age hillfort in Poland that researchers believe may have been toys, go to "Piggy Playthings."

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