An exhibit which has become one of the identifying symbols of the Early Christian Necropolis is the ivory doll with articulated arms and legs.
The doll was found inside a sarcophagus excavated in 1927 and was part of the funerary offerings placed with the body of a young girl who had died at the age of five or six. It was probably one of her favourite toys.
Other examples of Roman articulated dolls have been found, although almost always in fragments. They are made of various materials including bone, ivory and, above all, clay. They are, without doubt, representative of the children's toys of the time, and bring us closer to the day to day way of life of our ancestors. We can deduce from the remains of gold thread found next to our doll that they were, like today, dressed in tiny clothes imitating child and adult clothing of the period.
The fragile and delicately beautiful doll found in the Necropolis is 23 cm high, 6.5 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick. It is from the Low Imperial period (3rd-4th centuries AD). Its hair is styled in two crossed plaits gathered at the back of the head, imitating the fashion for the empresses of the period and permitting its dating. The doll's hairstyle had its origins in the second half of the 3rd century and was fashionable throughout the 4th century.
At the end of the Spanish Civil War the doll, along with other items of great value, was taken abroad. In 1942 it was found in France and taken to Madrid, where it was restored in the National Archaeological Museum. Finally, in 1945, it was returned to Tarragona. Recently restored again (1993-1994), it can now be seen in the exhibition El món de la mort ("The World of Death"). (See "The Early Christian Necropolis").