Project description
Mapping childhood in the Phoenician-Punic Mediterranean
Childhood remains underexplored in studies of the ancient Mediterranean. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the GROW UP project is the first systematic comparative study of childhood socialisation in Phoenician and Punic societies from the ninth to the second centuries BCE. It investigates how children were prepared for adult life amid migration, cultural encounters and social reproduction, while recognising them as active participants in their communities. Combining archaeology, iconography, textual sources, digital humanities and anthropology, the project examines toys, tools, miniatures and child-made ceramics through fingerprint analysis, 3D modelling, acoustic simulation and experimental archaeology. In doing so, it reconstructs learning strategies, spaces of interaction, embodied practices and mechanisms of cultural transmission across social groups.
Objective
"Getting Ready for Adulthood: Work, Upbringing and Play in the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean (GROW UP) offers the first systematic comparative study of childhood socialisation in Phoenician and Punic societies from the 9th to the 2nd centuries BCE. Based at the Institute of Heritage Science of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-ISPC), the project explores how children were prepared for adult life in contexts of migration, cultural encounters, and social reproduction in one of antiquity’s most dynamic regions. By treating children as active participants in community life, it examines how work, upbringing, and play shaped skill acquisition, embodied practices, and social identities structured by gender, age, class, and ethnicity.
The methodology combines archaeology, iconography, textual sources, digital humanities, and anthropology within an interdisciplinary framework. Techniques such as fingerprint analysis, 3D modelling, acoustic simulation, and experimental archaeology are applied to artefacts including toys, tools, miniatures, and child-made ceramics. This approach allows reconstruction of learning strategies, spaces of interaction, and cultural transmission otherwise invisible in the archaeological record. Comparative perspectives from the Mediterranean and Near East situate Phoenician-Punic practices within broader debates on education, intergenerational relations, and cultural diversity.
Beyond research, GROW UP promotes knowledge transfer through a placement at ""Explora. Il Museo dei Bambini di Roma"", translating findings into interactive and inclusive educational experiences. The project enhances the researcher’s expertise in science communication and museography while maximising social impact. Overall, GROW UP foregrounds childhood in historical inquiry, offering new insights into cultural transmission and advancing European priorities in cultural heritage, digital innovation, and public engagement."
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences sociology anthropology ethnology
- humanities history and archaeology archaeology
- engineering and technology materials engineering ceramics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
00185 Roma
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.