ABSTRACT
My intention in this contribution is to explore some of the ways in which demographic modelling may have implications for our reconstructions of the place and role of children in past societies. As Sofaer Derevenski (1997: 193) has emphasised, it is imperative to develop robust theoretical frameworks that establish the importance of children in past societies precisely because the historical and archaeological records appear to be deficient as a testament to their presence and agency. In particular, there is a requirement for objective models that are not biased by modern Western preconceptions concerning past demographic structures, the economic value of children’s labour, and the relative importance of the social and political roles of adults and children (see also Chamberlain 1997: 250). This chapter argues that demographic analysis can inform our understanding of children in past societies, although it should be noted that the sub-discipline of palaeodemography is by no means free of theoretical and methodological problems, some of which are highlighted below.
