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1890.26.2

Tipcat, toy [L.Ph 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 14/3/2005]

On display

1890.26.2

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Collection type
Object
Description
Tipcat, toy [L.Ph 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 14/3/2005]
Geographical reference
Egypt
Africa > Northern Africa > Egypt
Lahun [Kahun]
Date / Period
Archaeological period: Ancient Egyptian Middle Kingdom
Date collected
1890
Acquisition information
Donated: 1890
Materials and processes
Material Wood Plant, Process Carved
Dimensions
Length: max 175 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1890.26.2
Research and responses

A tipcat is a type of game, in which a piece of wood, pointed at both ends, is tipped or struck with a stick or bat to make it fly into the air [RTS 1/10/2004]. See http://www.kahun.ucl.ac.uk/main.html for tip cats [L.Ph 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 18/10/2004] See also page 58 Szpakowska, K. 2008. Daily Life in Ancient Egypt: Recreating Lahun (Oxford). [AS 06/09/2010]

There is no evidence that such objects were used as tipcats, and the attribution of this label to these objects probably owes more to Petrie's knowledge of 19th century London, than to the ancient contexts of use. [AS 06/06/2012]

Kennard, along with Jesse Hayworth, was Petrie's main sponsor for the excavations at Lahun. The division of finds from the excavation was that of the material that was allowed to return to England, it would be equally divided between Petrie, Kennard and Haworth. Most of Hayworth's material went to the University of Manchester (see http://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/collection/ancientegypt/virtualkahun/), but Kennard's objects were mostly sold at auction after his death in 1911 but evidently donated some of his portion of the finds to the Pitt Rivers. [AS 05/07/2012]

Associated publications
Petrie mentions finding 11 of these objects at Lahun on page 30 of Petrie, W.M.F. 1890. Kahun, Gurob and Hawara (London). There is a sketch of one example on pl. IX, 17, but no information on the context in which they were found. [AS 06/06/2012]

Search terms: Toy and Game, Children and Childcare, Toy

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