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These 5,000-year-old ‘owls’ weren’t used for rituals — they were toys, study says

Archaeologists in Spain and Portugal rediscovered thousands of small stone plaques carved over 5,000 years ago. The palm-sized objects showed a variety of engravings, some simpler and some much more complex. The purpose of the plaques stumped experts.

Many experts came to favor the idea that the 4,000 slate plaques found on the Iberian Peninsula served a ritual purpose and represented goddesses, a team of researchers recounted in a study published Thursday, Dec. 1, in Scientific Reports.

Juan Negro, a professor at Estación Biológica de Doñana in Spain, and his co-collaborators challenged this idea. If these ancient plaques had such “deep significance,” why were they carved so simply and quickly? Why were they made of such basic materials? And why did so many look like owls?

Instead, the researchers argued that these plaques were carved by kids to look like owls and used as toys.

The researchers noticed that some of the plaques looked like owls — two large eyes staring straight out, beak-like nose, and geometric feather-like patterns across the body. To test this observation, they collected photos of 100 plaques and rated the “owliness” of each plaque. They scored each object based on whether or not it had common owl traits: two eyes, feathery head, neck markings, straight-on face, beak and wings.

Finding that the plaques verified in “owliness,” the researchers wondered if the less owl-like carvings were done by younger, less-skilled craftsmen.

To find out, the researchers collected 100 owl drawings by modern-day children between 4 years old and 13 years old. Rating these drawings on the same “owliness” scale, they found that younger children’s owl drawings ranked lower while older children’s drawings ranked higher.

These findings led the researchers to argue that the plaques were owls carved by Copper Age children and used as toys. The plaques may have been “the first dolls or toys ever made in Europe,” the researchers said.

The plaques’ simple carvings, common materials and basic creation process added evidence to the theory that these were common use items, the study says. Other ritual items created at the same time as the plaques — a period between 5,500 to 4,750 years ago – included rare materials such as “gold, elephant ivory or rock crystal,” researchers said. Comparatively, the owl plaques seem — literally — like child’s play.

The researchers also noted that the owl toys could have been placed in funeral graves or served as a kid’s contribution to a ritual ceremony — the line between ritual and play may not have been clearly defined.

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