Cypriot child's rattle

This little pig shows how children and their toys have not fundamentally changed over thousands of years. It is a rattle in the shape of a pig, the rough ridge of hair on its back showing it to be closer to a boar than contemporary pigs. This is part of a collection of ancient pottery excavated in Cyprus. It was presented in 1878 to James Bibby, a Liverpool ship-owner, who was cruising the Mediterranean in his yacht 'Helen'. Refugees escaping from a burning ship at Famagusta suspected that their ship had been purposely wrecked; they murdered the crew and caused panic in the island. The arrival of Mr Bibby's yacht helped to quell the riot as it was believed to be a gunboat and in gratitude he was presented with the collection; it was taken from an archaeologist, Mr Cesnola, who was working for the British Museum.