Social Differentiation in the Early Bronze Age: Miniature Metal Tools and Child Burials

Children grave offerings being rare in Early Bronze Age Aegean, the exceptional occurrence of valuable ones is striking, all the more so if they are miniature metal tools. This differentiated treatment should be considered in the context of the beginnings of specialization and its social implications. These would affect not only adult members of social groups, but also children. These offerings could thus be a (symbolic) proof of a distinction or skill acquired by a non-adult after arriving at a specific age or stage of a particular expertness.