This thoroughly researched study presents a rounded picture of childhood in the past, as revealed by archaeology and supplemented by the historical record. Ranging widely, both geographically and chronologically, individual chapters examine how the cherished child was brought up; children's education and the work to which they were put; relationships between parents and children and the rituals of child death; the treatment of children as divinities, in particular the child saints of medieval Europe; the exploitation and abuse of children; and the rites of passage to adulthood. Though written in an engaging, accessible style, this seminal work will be one of essential reference for the researches of future archaeologists.