The prevailing image of the Paleolithic era is inextricably linked to the struggle for survival: hunters, stone tools, caves, and constant movement through a challenging environment. Within this harsh setting, children often seem to be absent. And yet, they were always there. They followed the adults’ routes, observed the world around them, learned through play, and tested their abilities, taking their first steps toward full integration into the community.
But how can we trace their presence in the archaeological record? How can we recognize a child in a footprint in the ground, a burial, a journey deep into a cave, or an unfinished stone tool that still bears the marks of early practice? And what are the methodological limits that allow us to study this evidence without projecting our own modern ideas about childhood onto the distant past?
Following this material evidence, the book seeks to bring children back into the spotlight of a history long written without them. By highlighting children’s activities, it offers a different, more complete perspective on the Paleolithic era. It is no longer simply the story of a harsh struggle against nature, but also the history of early human communities that nurtured new generations, passed on valuable knowledge, and ensured, time and again, the continuation of our story.
