The bioarchaeology of children

"This book is the first to be devoted entirely to the study of children's skeletons from archaeological and forensic contexts. It provides an extensive review of the osteological methods and theoretical concepts of their analysis. Non-adult skeletons provide a wealth of information on the physical and social life of the child from their growth, diet and age at death, to factors that expose them to trauma and disease at different stages of their lives. This book covers non-adult skeletal preservation; the assessment of age, sex and ancestry; growth and development; infant and child mortality including infanticide; weaning ages and diseases of dietary deficiency; skeletal pathology; personal identification; and exposure to trauma from birth injuries, accidents and child abuse, providing new insights for undergraduates and postgraduates in osteology, palaeopathology and forensic anthropology."--Jacket.