Up until recently, the children of the ancient world seemed a distant mystery. We had little to no evidence of their burials or of how they were perceived in ancient societies. Anthropologists were, for the most part, stumped. A variety of hypotheses arose, attempting to explain why the children of ancient history were nothing but ghosts in the field of adult remains and evidence. It has only been through groundbreaking work, like the excavation in Aidonia that has begun to shine a light on this mystery. But still the question remains, what knowledge can we hope to glean from these children? 

      Indeed, their mere existence raises many questions. Why were they buried in this way? How did their loss affect society? How did this community view childhood? It is through questions like this posed against a backdrop of archaeological evidence that we can begin to speculate about ancient youths. The voices that have long been silenced are coming back to life though the way in which we question these objects. What questions might you ask?

Through our collections tab, pick specific geographic locations to focus on:

      Beyond the case study at Aidonia, this exhibit examines the objects from varying geographic locations. Geographic diversity is key. The remaining objects in the collection originate from a variety of locations such as Egypt, United Kingdom, Italy, and the Republic of Georgia. The exhibit also highlights contemporary gravestones from the United States. With global context, we gain a wider understanding of the interconnectedness between cultural burial practices.