The Health and Welfare of Children in the Past

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "The Health and Welfare of Children in the Past," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The study of children and childhood in the past has been of increasing interest to archaeologists over the past 20 years. Previously deemed to be invisible, theoretical and methodological advances mean the experiences, actions and physical remains of children are being studied to enrich our comprehension of past peoples. Exploring issues of health and welfare is a pathway to understanding not only the lives of children, but also, the world they inhabited. Changing social practices, political priorities, economic developments, environmental factors, and new technologies have all impacted on children’s health and welfare throughout the past. In turn, the life experiences of children shape the world they create as adults. This session will explore the archaeology and bioarchaeology of children from all time periods. Papers are invited which consider a variety of themes, including but not limited to, childhood health and disease, the care of children in the home, the welfare of children in the work place, and community and institutional roles in how and by whom children were cared for.