Playful Stone Age

Abstract

Prehistory has always been of great fascination to children. As funny and amusing as educational media might be, it often carries contemporary stereotypes and biases since the deep past provides ‘forms of critical imagination’ that are products of present capitalist culture ( Pitcher 2022 :18). Once absorbed, these stereotypes are difficult to change or correct. Communicating the past to younger generations is both challenging and crucial for historians and archaeologists. This study focuses on how the Stone Age is conveyed to primary school children (6–12 years old), with a focus on Palaeolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies. It explores English and Italian materials, examining differences and similarities between these cultures and languages. More specifically, the paper includes children’s books from Italy, the United Kingdom and Ireland (2013–2023) as well as educational resources from museums, schools and universities of these countries. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken of visual and textual media. The research is framed within a feminist theoretical framework, exploring depictions of gender roles in the analysed material. Even if the Stone Age is such a distant period, the way it is portrayed to children is of great importance, and a better dissemination of it means that a better understanding of the present could play a role in creating a better world ( Henson 2016a :2). Similarities between Italian and English sources were identified in the depiction of male dominance, occasional female empowerment, hunting prominence and climate change. However, Italian sources tended to emphasise stereotypical depictions of gendered division of labour. In contrast, English sources included post-humanist theories and presented prehistoric times as a survival challenge. Overall, the discussion has highlighted the interdependence of archaeological interpretations and contemporary issues.