ABSTRACT
One group of toys is easy to classify as such, because what they do serves little purpose other than play. A rubber ball is an example: so long as its surface is unbroken, the archaeologist finding it can be fairly certain that it was a play object because nothing much else could be done with it. The issue arises with particular force in the area of miniature toys and models, because reduction of scale when combined with exactness of replication of the original seems to exert a unique fascination upon both children and adults. Perhaps a real dolls' house, however, should be defined as a house designed as a home for dolls; the Dutch cabinets would have been as unsuitable for actually living in as Midas's palace after he acquired the golden touch. Dolls' houses come in many sizes, qualities and prices, and one cannot always be certain, of course, that any one child is going to be an enthusiast.
