Who was a ‘Child’ During the Neolithic in France?

ABSTRACT In France, during the Neolithic period (5700–2100 BC), several cultural groups have been identified. In the Early Neolithic, burials were simple and gathered in small groups. This was followed by monumentalization and collectivization during the Middle Neolithic, before becoming exclusive at the end of the Neolithic. The aim of this research is to focus on children within these various contexts in terms of funerary practices, age distribution and burial location (either adjacent to domestic structures or within strictly funerary contexts). Proposals for division by age classes of a social nature for each Neolithic period and for the large regional areas distinguished within France are also advanced. We then observe two main issues considering the exclusion of some age classes and the unique case of collective burial sites.