Phrygian Toys as a Cultural Heritage in Handicrafts

Abstract

Handicraft is one of the fundamental elements through which societies clearly manifest their art, culture, and lifestyles through handmade products. The history of Anatolia hosting various civilizations having different beliefs and artistic understandings over centuries has particularly expanded the meaning of handicrafts and has made Anatolia a sort of cultural bridge between the East and the West. The art of toy making, which is a field of handicrafts, is also a special branch of handicrafts. Reflecting the cultural values of many civilizations around the world, toys are considered important objects in international cultural exchange. The Phrygians, one of the oldest settlers in Central Anatolia, engaged in various forms of art in Ankara, Kütahya, Afyonkarahisar, and Eskisehir regions, which are also known as the Phrygian region. Findings obtained from several excavation sites in Ankara, Eskisehir, Kütahya, and Afyonkarahisar regions have shown that the Phrygians progressed in the field of art too. Particularly a few important artifacts discovered in archeological excavations can be considered as a reflection of Phrygian handicrafts. These objects clearly demonstrated that the Phrygians were a civilization that valued children with the toys they produced. The toys belonging to the Phrygian civilization, which facilitate cultural exchange between regions and generations, were evaluated in terms of technique, pattern, material, and composition in handicrafts. Moreover, the present study also investigated the inclusion of Phrygian toys in Turkish handicrafts and tourism and their evaluation as an artistic object.