Byzantine Childhood: Representations and Experiences of Children in Middle Byzantine Society (Routledge Research in Byzantine Studies)

__Byzantine Childhood__ examines the intricacies of growing up in medieval Byzantium, children’s everyday experiences, and their agency. By piecing together a wide range of sources and utilising several methodological approaches inspired by intersectionality, history from below and microhistory, it analyses the life course of Byzantine boys and girls and how medieval Byzantine society perceived and treated them according to societal and cultural expectations surrounding age, gender, and status. Ultimately, it seeks to reconstruct a more plausible picture of the everyday life of children, one of the most vulnerable social groups throughout history and often a neglected subject in scholarship. Written in a lively and engaging manner, this book is necessary reading for scholars and students of Byzantine history, as well as those interested in the history of childhood and the family. "Byzantine Childhood examines the intricacies of growing up in Medieval Byzantium, children's everyday life experiences, and their agency. Piecing together a wide range of sources and utilising several methodological approaches inspired from intersectionality, history from below and microhistory, it analyses the life course of Byzantine boys and girls and how medieval Byzantine society perceived and treated them according to societal and cultural expectations surrounding age, gender, and status. Ultimately, it seeks to reconstruct a more plausible picture of the everyday life of children, one of the most vulnerable social groups throughout history and often a neglected subject in scholarship. Written in a lively and engaging manner, this book is necessary reading for scholars and students of Byzantine history, as well as those interested in the history of childhood and the family"-- Provided by publisher Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of illustrations Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Introduction 1 Conceptions of childhood 2 The social and physical world of Byzantine children 3 How it all starts: the first few years of Byzantine children’s lives 4 Growing up in a Byzantine family: socialization in the domestic sphere 5 The child in the church: constructing religious identity 6 Life in the human hive:family networks and the social life of the household 7 The monastic-to-be: life within a monastery’s walls 8 Through the eyes of children: two narratives of Byzantine children’s everyday life Conclusions Bibliography Index