ABSTRACT
Talking about children in the milieu of archaeological discourse is currently as contentious as talking about gender used to be. This is predominantly because children are often deemed to be invisible or difficult to recognise archaeologically (Sofaer Derevenski 1994). However, it is simply not accurate to state that children cannot be seen in archaeological material. Children are actually quite visible, particularly in mortuary contexts. The nature of this perceived invisibility may therefore stem from difficulties in identifying material traces of the acts of children rather than children themselves. This inability to distinguish child action within the archaeological record both reinforces, and is reinforced by, the modern idea that children cannot make any significant contribution to social life. Since children are unable to negotiate their position in society without help from parents or other adults, they are regarded as irrelevant to archaeological enquiry.
