Abstract
Children were a significant part of Palaeolithic – and other prehistoric – societies. Indeed, it is probable that children constituted the largest group of individuals in these communities, perhaps making up as much as 40% of the population. As such, the smallest members of society may have played significant roles not only in the creation of the archaeological record, but the evolution of social and technological components. This seminar overviews our current state of knowledge about the role of children in human cultural evolution and discusses future pathways in this emerging field of archaeological inquiry.

Speaker
Dr Michelle Langley is an Associate Professor in the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE) at Griffith University. Her research centres around the evolution and diversity of human behaviour which she explores through the study of artefacts made on hard animal materials. She is the author of A Record in Bone. Exploring Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Bone and Tooth Objects (2023) and has been involved in unveiling some of the earliest ornaments, bone and shell artefacts discovered throughout the Australasian region. She also maintains research in Palaeolithic Europe and childhood archaeology.

Attend via Zoom:
https://tinyurl.com/yck5y87c

Attend in Person:
Conference Room 128, AD Hope Building, ANU Acton Campus

Dr Langley's visit to the ANU has been assisted by an ANU RSHA External Visitor Grant.