Exhibition ‘Vitrina cero. Back to Childhood. Prehistory and Antiquity’

What games did children play in ancient Egypt, and how did they learn to help adults long before schools existed as we know them today? The Museo Arqueológico Nacional invites us to look back at the past through children’s activities and objects. The exhibition ‘Back to Childhood. Prehistory and Antiquity’ will be open from 20 October 2026 to 17 January 2027.

Toys, everyday items, and preserved traces of children’s presence tell us about lives that were often overlooked by archaeological research. By imitating adults, children learned daily tasks and the customs of their community. The exhibition shows them not only as those who received care, but also as participants in collective work.

Alongside historical finds, four Nancy dolls dressed in outfits created especially for the occasion have been added. The toy manufacturer FAMOSA and the Centro Superior de Diseño de Moda de Madrid, part of the UPM, have designed clothing for them from the Palaeolithic, ancient Egypt, Iberian culture, and classical Greece.