Abstract/Summary

In 1992, Shelley Saunders provided one of the first overviews on the position of non-adult studies in bioarchaeology. While acknowledging that things had moved on since 1968, when Johnson lamented the almost complete neglect of children in biological studies, she highlighted a number of issues that still required investigation. Now, 25 years later, how far have we come? This chapter provides an overview of the importance, position, challenges and popularity of non-adult studies in bioarchaeology. It extends beyond the original premise of Saunder’s (1992; 2000; 2008) reviews on ageing, sexing and growth methods to include the rapidly expanding area of child palaeopathology. New themes, such as concerns about how we define a ‘child’ and the emerging interest in adolescent skeletons are explored. Throughout, the issue that a child potentially represents a frail non-survivor resonates as we attempt to provide accurate sex and age estimates or understand levels of childhood stress.