The earliest known toy soldiers weren't toys at all. Around 2500 BC, miniature wooden and ivory soldiers were placed in the tomb of Egyptian Prince Emsah, likely for ritual protection in the afterlife. Centuries later, their purpose shifted dramatically. In 18th-century Germany, inspired by Napoleon's armies, the Hilpert family began mass-producing two-dimensional 'flats' for play. The real revolution came in 1893 when William Britain perfected hollow-casting, using a spinning mold to create lig