One of the oldest recognizable toys found in archaeological sites, what toy entertains children for hours on end by spinning on an axis while balancing on a point?
Top the stem, and the centrifugal force generated by the unwinding motion of the string will set them spinning upon touching ground. The top is one of the oldest recognizable toys found on archaeological sites. Spinning tops originated independently in cultures all over the world. Besides toys, tops have also historically been used for gambling and prophecy. Some role-playing games use tops to augment dice in generating randomized results; it is in this case referred to as a "spinner". A thumbtack may also be made to spin on the same principles. Gould mentions maple seeds, celts (leading to rattlebacks), the fire-drill,
Toy are intended for display only. The origin of toys is prehistoric; dolls representing infants, animals, and soldiers, as well as representations of tools used by adults are readily found at archaeological sites. The origin of the word "toy" is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the 14th century. Toys are mainly made for children. The oldest known doll toy is thought to be 4,000 years old. Playing with toys is considered to be important when it comes to growing up and learning about the world around us. Younger children use toys to discover their identity,