Children comprised around half of the prehistoric population, but until now our knowledge of their lives has been limited. In this fascinating essay, April Nowell explores how this is changing; including some delightful descriptions of how these children learned, played, and contributed to their community.

But using new techniques, and with different assumptions, the children of the Ice Age are being given a voice. And what they’re saying is surprising: they’re telling us different stories, not only about the roles they played in the past, but also about the evolution of human culture itself.