“Whim Rules the Child”: The Archaeology of Childhood in Scandinavian Scotland

Abstract The Viking Age is typically seen as an adult world, especially in the context of migration, and yet children would have made up a significant portion of the population. In recent years, the children of the Viking Age diasporic settlements in England, Ireland, and Iceland have been the subject of study. This paper examines the evidence from Scandinavian Scotland for children's funerary practices and the material culture of children/childhood. By studying objects such as game boards, graffiti, and potential toys, we can begin to explore the evidence for play and children's agency in the archaeological record.