The Archaeology of Infancy and Infant DeathThis book is a wide-ranging archaeological description and analysis of infancy, the social constructions of infancy, and the practices of infant care and social reproduction through time and across space. The main themes are the ways in which infants have lived in and have been perceived by society, the burial of the infant dead, and the meanings of domestic infanticide and infant sacrifice. It examines infancy as a process with meanings varying between and within societies, and it addresses the relationships between infants and adults. The contradictions which lie at the heart of attitudes to infants, and the exclusion of neonates from communal life and communal burial, are recurrent themes. The whole is rounded off with a concluding chapter which aims to establish some general statements about past attitudes to infancy and the treatment of infants, whilst stressing the particularity and specificity of the various historical contexts which have been examined. |
Common terms and phrases
abortion adult ancient Anglo-Saxon animal appear archaeological record associated baby baby's behaviour biological birth spacing breastfeeding Bronze Age buried capacocha century Chapter child child sacrifice childbirth childhood Christian communal burial contexts crying diet domestic infanticide early evidence evolutionary example Excavations feeding female infanticide female infants foetus gender girls grave hominid ibid infant burials infant cemetery infant death infant mortality infant sacrifice infants and children Inka interpretation killing labour language large numbers London Lugnano male material culture Mediaeval milk modern Mokrin mortuary mother narratives Natufian Neolithic neonates newborn Oram's Arbour Palaeolithic parents particular period Phoenician population practice pre-eclampsia pregnancy prehistory processes relationship remains reproductive ritual role Roman Britain Romano-British Scott settlement sexual Shennan significant social society Soren suggests symbolic tensions tophet Truby King University Press villa weaning whilst woman women young children young dead