In fact, dolls were born long before they were given the french name of «poupée» (doll), which probably comes from the latin words «puppa» or «pupa» that mean «tétines, sein» (nipples, breast). Although it is difficult to define the doll's origin, a few ancient objects coming of Antiquity tell us that dolls were part of Greeks and Romans lives at this era.  

Most of the time, these small rudimentary shaped wooden or clay figures were religious objects. Some were even laid down with mummies in burial place. In Greece, for instance, jointed dolls were found in temples dedicated to goddesses Demeter and Persephone . Such dolls were also found in Egyptian's temples.

From primitive to more elaborate forms, depending on the society from which they came, dolls have left behind them traces of a quiet happiness typical of childhood play. Thus, we invariably find them associated to the everyday life of little girls or collected by rich heirs, princes and other nobility. 

For the little girl, the everyday actions of dressing, feeding or do the hair of her doll is the perfect occasion to prepare for her role as a mother. During Renaissance, girls of royal blood learned with their dolls the strict codes of court etiquette.

One thing is for sure, each period of history reveals a lot of things on who played with the dolls, who made them, who collected them. 
 

The introduction, over the past 20 years, of a new kind of dolls created by accomplished artists, forces us to see the world of dolls on another level. My friend Ethel Loh Strickarz, an American doll artist based in New York, has asked me, as well as other doll makers she knows, to write down our own definition of an art doll. You can read their answers on her web site but here are my personal thoughts. 
  

2 
On May 1st 1889, in Rome, a doll was found in the sarcophagus of the young Crepeieia Tryphaena. It came with its own set of earrings, an ivory box, two small silver mirrors and two combs made of bone.  

3 
In the Middle Ages, dolls were carved out of mandrake roots which were believed to hold extraordinary powers and were thought infallible in finding treasures. 

4 
At the time of her death, in 1589, the inventory of Catherine de Medicis' belongings contained 16 dolls... 8 of which were in mourning clothes.  

5 
Artist Lisa Lichtenfels are so lifelike that she was once arrested by the police after eyewitnesses signaled that she forced someone to get into her car.Of course, it was one of her famous full size soft sculptures.