There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do. In the ancient world, as in today's world, most boys played with some form of toy and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys imitate their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. Boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.What is remarkable about the history of toys, is not how they changed over the centuries,but how they remained the same. Changes have come mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. Generally the same kinds of toys appeared around the world. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles. Toys can be regarded as an art form, as they have not been subjected to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of way up. The progress from a doll used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by invention. Each doll is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.