Drawing from primary research studies in archaeology, historical analysis, literature, and art this interdisciplinary look at the history of child funerary practices and other vehicles of parental mourning is the only book of its kind. The purpose of this work is to investigate the ways in which funerary behaviors and grieving differ between cultures and across time; from prehistory to modern history. Philippe Aries, the French childhood historian, argued that children were rarely mourned upon their deaths as child death was a frequent and expected event, especially in the Middle Ages. This book draws upon archaeological reports, secondary data analysis, and analysis of literature, photography and artwork to refute, and in some cases support, Aries's claim. Organized in two parts, Part One begins with a chapter on the causes of childhood mortality and the steps taken to prevent it, followed by chapters on prehistory, ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and the early modern and late modern eras. The chapters in Part Two discuss indicators of parental concern at a child's death: naming practices, replacement strategy, baptism, consolation literature, and artwork. Students who focus on the psychological aspects of death, funeral practices, and childhood histories will find this book a useful and comprehensive tool for examining how children have been mourned since prehistory.

Contents: A Brief History of Child Mortality - Burial Pits and Ivory Beads: Prehistoric Children - Burials at Night: Children from Ancient Civilizations - Collateral of the Plague: Children of the Middle Ages and Renaissance - Ambivalence, Christianity, Slavery, and the Devil: America and England in the 17 to 20 Centuries - Modern Times: The Psychology of Grief - Indigenous Peoples of the World: Symbolism in Grief - Indicators of Parental Concern: Naming and Replacement - Consolation Literature: Sympathy Letters, Poetry, and Books on Parental Grief - Visual Representations of Child Death: Artwork and Photographs - Infanticide and Child Sacrifice: An Overview.