Where the children are: an insight into ‘age markers’ in western Greece. Astragali from the burial area of Locri Epizefiri

Abstract

‘Where are the Children?’ In the title of a contribution edited in 1994: J. Sofaer Derevenski raised this question drawing scholars’ attention to the low consideration given to the study of children in archaeological research. For a long time, in fact, infants have been ignored in view of their marginal, incomplete and passive role in ancient society. Confined in ‘a category of disempowered’, due to the man-centred perspective leading current methodologies of investigation, young deceased have traditionally represented an invisible category within the frame of funerary studies as well, in contrast to adults, more representative as social agents. However, a surge of interest has recently occurred in the subject of childhood in antiquity.