ABSTRACT
In antiquity (as in the present day), outward appearance such as dress and hairstyle signalled to others stage of life and/or integration into society: these served to demarcate boundaries between youth and maturity, with rites of passage from one stage to another constituting an important element in the enculturation of children. In this chapter I analyse terminology and childhood “markers” including body modification, as well as gender and social status, to assess attitudes towards non-adults. Although we lack a comprehensive array of sources with which to build a detailed picture of childhood in ancient Egypt, there is sufficient evidence in the form of material culture, iconography and texts to provide a broad definition of the child in the pharaonic period.
