Childhood in History: Perceptions of Children in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds ed. by Reidar Aasgaard and Cornelia Horn, with Oana Maria Cojocaru
Judith Evans Grubbs
Reviewed by: Childhood in History: Perceptions of Children the Ancient and Medieval Worlds ed. by Reidar Aasgaard Cornelia Horn, with Oana Maria Cojocaru Judith Evans Grubbs Worlds. Edited Cojocaru. New York: Routledge, 2018. xvi + 383 pp. Cloth $170. History is a collection twenty essays on childhood children classical antiquity Middle Ages. It arose from international interdisciplinary research project "Tiny Voices From Past: Perspectives Early Europe" at University Oslo (2013–17). The editors, are both well-known prolific scholars early late antique Christianity, but book's range extends much more widely time, region, religion, covering not only Mediterranean world also northwestern Europe East. subtitle, "Perceptions Children" an important indicator approach limits: this book about how adults thought perceived children, activities thoughts themselves. Readers interested ancient past their exercised agency within it directed to companion volume (also product Past" project), Everyday Life Roman Late Antique World (Routledge, 2017, edited C. Laes V. Vuolanto). proceeds chronologically, chapters detailing Platonic Aristotelian views fourth century BCE, through rise Christianity transformation sixth centuries CE, later Ages thirteenth fourteenth centuries. However, reading straight beginning end would be best way appreciate variety richness book, or assess possible continuities as well change. One great strengths that covers "usual suspects" so often found surveys premodern less-studied cultures, such rabbinical Judaism (Sivan Gilat), Islamic birth death (Benkheira Giladi), eastern (Horn Talbot), even Viking sagas (Jakobsson). contributors offer succinct introductions sources, pointing out problems transmission, preservation, interpretation, readers who have no previous knowledge can follow analyses easily. Interesting threads emerge when according genre, for [End Page 127] instance: philosophers medical writers (Grahn-Wilder, Fossheim, Baker, Emilsson); (Kartzow Hägg); medieval Christian monastic (Aasgaard McGuire); texts composed socialization education young males (Bloomer Orme). reader's preferences will depend interest taste; I particularly enjoyed Sivan's chapter story Moses's "abandonment" rescue was relayed differently biblical, rabbinical, pictorial sources; Garver "Conceptions youth Carolingian capitularies"; Giladi sensitive treatment beloved child's Muslim consolation treatises; Falkreid Dante (especially charming description "tiny voices" Celestial Rose Paradiso). In one respect, does live up expectations: lack visual perspectives. cover art intriguing montage artistic depictions individual (though half fifteenth sixteenth century, beyond temporal limits), editors' excellent introduction opens discussion Pieter Bruegel Elder's painting Children's Games century). But two contributors, Bloomer Sivan, make extensive use evidence, although Talbot Orme briefly allude it. Since perceptions rather than "real-life" expect emphasis material culture archaeological evidence (see above) some books antiquity. representations perceptions, that...
Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth