Malta’s Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH) has given us an adorable glimpse into childhood during Roman times.

Long before wooden blocks, plastic figurines or digital screens, young Maltese children may have been entertained by something far simpler: a small ceramic pig. Archaeologists believe this charming object was once used as a rattle toy, likely filled with pebbles or beads inserted through the small hole visible at the top of the artefact. When shaken, it would have produced sounds to delight its tiny owner.

Childhood doesn’t last forever though! Once the child grew up, the little pig rattle was left behind – buried or discarded into a pit that, centuries later, was found filled with agricultural ceramic vessels linked to an ancient Roman farmstead.

That is, until 2017, when archaeologists rediscovered it in present-day Birkirkara, bringing this humble object and its story back into the light.

Carefully dusted off, recorded and preserved, the ceramic pig now rests in the SCH’s laboratory, where it continues to be studied and analysed. It stands as a touching reminder that even in antiquity, children laughed, played, and shook their toys with joy, just like they do today.

Can you imagine today's children playing with something similar?