Individual dietary patterns during childhood: an archaeological application of a stable isotope microsampling method for tooth dentin

Burt, Nicole M.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2014.10.019

Cited by 29 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(109 reference statements)

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“…Correlations between diet and health status has also been inferred in other incremental dentinal studies of other archaeological populations (e.g., Burt, 2015). However, the full implications of this for archaeological weaning studies, particularly for populations that did not experience extreme nutritional hardship, are not yet clear, especially since there is a very large body of evidence from modern studies on a number of tissues, including dentinal collagen, that breastfeeding and weaning are usually the overriding factors that best explain variations in infant δ 15 N (Balasse et al, 2001;Fahy et al, 2014;Fogel et al, 1989;Jenkins et al, 2001;Polischuk et al, 2001).…”

Section: Stable Isotopes and Infant Feeding Practices In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 57%

“…This suggests that early‐life changes in δ 15 N values do not simply reflect patterns of breastfeeding and weaning but also other aspects of nutritional histories, of infants as well as their mothers, particularly in instances of populations undergoing nutritional stress (Beaumont et al, ; Beaumont et al, ). Correlations between diet and health status has also been inferred in other incremental dentinal studies of other archaeological populations (e.g., Burt, ). However, the full implications of this for archaeological weaning studies, particularly for populations that did not experience extreme nutritional hardship, are not yet clear, especially since there is a very large body of evidence from modern studies on a number of tissues, including dentinal collagen, that breastfeeding and weaning are usually the overriding factors that best explain variations in infant δ 15 N (Balasse et al, ; Fahy et al, ; Fogel et al, ; Fuller, Fuller, et al, ; Jenkins et al, ; Polischuk et al, ).…”

Section: Stable Isotopes and Infant Feeding Practices In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 65%

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Isotopes and new norms: Investigating the emergence of early modern U.K. breastfeeding practices at St. Nicholas Kirk, Aberdeen

Britton

McManus-Fry

Cameron³

et al. 2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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In this study, we aim to extend the chronological, geographical, and societal scope of previous bioarchaeological research on infant diet and age at weaning in Britain in the past through the analysis of the large medieval and post‐medieval skeletal assemblage from St. Nicholas Kirk, Aberdeen, Scotland. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data were obtained from rib collagen from 67 sub‐adults across the two phases and were compared with mean adult female dietary isotope values. Nitrogen isotope data were modelled using the R Package WARN, along with previously published data sets, to provide quantitative age estimates for the commencement and completion of weaning at St. Nicholas Kirk and other medieval and post‐medieval sites. Data from Phase A (12th–15th century AD) suggest that breastfeeding may have continued up to and beyond the age of 2 years, likely in combination with other foods. This complements previously published data from urban and rural medieval contexts in England, highlighting similarities in infant feeding practices across very different contemporary populations. Data from post‐medieval Phase B at St. Nicholas Kirk (15th–18th century AD) give new insights into early modern period breastfeeding and weaning practices, indicating that weaning commenced soon after birth and was completed relatively early (within a year). These data bridge the gap between previously published studies on medieval and late 18th‐ to 19th‐century populations from the British Isles and suggest that trends observed at later urban sites may be rooted in preceding centuries, although the underlying reasons for this change are difficult to elucidate. Contributing factors may include the social and religious changes that occurred in the post‐reformation period, such as the decrease in the use of wet nurses, changes in the availability and acceptability of artificial feeding, increased urbanism, and even changes in the socio‐economic status of those interred in the Kirk.

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Section: Stable Isotopes and Infant Feeding Practices In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Stable Isotopes and Infant Feeding Practices In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 65%

Isotopes and new norms: Investigating the emergence of early modern U.K. breastfeeding practices at St. Nicholas Kirk, Aberdeen

Britton

McManus-Fry

Cameron³

et al. 2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…As a result, it is possible to isolate sections of teeth and determine their stable isotope composition (e.g., Beaumont et al, 2012Beaumont et al, , 2015Burt, 2015;Eerkens et al, 2011;Fuller et al, 2003). This facilitates tracing of certain aspects of diet over the window in which that section grew.…”

Section: Dentin Serial Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, such individual-scale analyses are better suited for testing hypotheses drawn from evolutionary theory in anthropology, which focus on the actions of individuals, not groups of people. Even fewer studies in archeology focus on variation in diet over time within particular individuals, though recent studies on hair and teeth have attempted to address this issue (Beaumont et al, 2012;Burt, 2015;Eerkens et al, 2011Eerkens et al, , 2014aFuller et al, 2003;Sharp et al, 2003;Webb et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable isotope analysis of serial samples of third molars as insight into inter- and intra-individual variation in ancient diet

Eerkens

Sullivan

Greenwald

2016

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oIdentification and analysis of faunal and botanical remains provide important insight into paleodiet, but tend to average dietary behaviors over many individuals and large windows of time. Stable isotope analyses of human bone collagen and apatite, while less specific regarding diet, nicely complement faunal and macrobotanical analyses by giving glimpses into the diets of individuals, but still time-average diet over large windows (ca. 5-20 years). Recent advances in micro-sectioning of teeth provide the opportunity to examine intra-individual changes in diet over small windows of time, as small as 1 year or less. We use stable isotope data from human third molar dentin as a window into examining intra-individual variation in diet at a hunter-gatherer archeological site in Central California (CA-SOL-11). Data show significant dietary variation between individuals, suggesting there were many ways that individuals met basic dietary needs at the site. Data also show that some individuals significantly altered their diet in the course of their lives, with pulses of high brackish-water exploitation lasting between 1 and 4 years. We suggest one of three scenarios to explain these fluctuations: that brackish water foods served as fallback resources, that some individuals shifted their place of residence, or that changing trade relations may have caused fluctuations in consumption of brackish-water foods.

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“…Dentin serial sectioning was first applied to human archaeological remains by Fuller et al (), who showed that dentin serial sections could produce a finer temporal resolution of weaning compared with bone collagen. Since then, dentin serial sectioning has been applied in multiple studies to explore issues in infant feeding practices, such as individual variation (Beaumont, Gledhill, Lee‐Thorp, & Montgomery, ; Burt, ; Burt, ; Eerkens, Berget, & Bartelink, ; Greenwald, Eerkens, & Bartelink, ; Henderson, Lee‐Thorp, & Loe, ; Holt, ; King et al, ; King, Halcrow, et al, ), maternal diet (Burt & Garvie‐Lok, ; Holt, ), selective mortality (Fuller et al, ; Sandberg et al, ), physiology and nutritional stress (Beaumont et al, ; Beaumont & Montgomery, ), and sex‐related differences (Eerkens & Bartelink, ; Henderson et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring variation in infant feeding practices in Byzantine Greece using stable isotope analysis of dentin serial sections

Kwok

Garvie‐Lok

Katzenberg

2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Infant feeding practices are explored in the early Byzantine Greek site of Nemea (5th–6th centuries) to better understand breastfeeding, weaning, and early diet of children in ancient Greece. Dentin serial sections were obtained from the permanent first molars and first premolars of 26 adults (seven males, eight females, and 11 of unknown sex) and analyzed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. The isotopic data demonstrated that most individuals were breastfed and were fully weaned by around 2.6 years on average (range 1.8 to 3.6 years). A range of infant feeding practices was observed at Nemea. Some individuals were breastfed, while others were never breastfed or consumed breast milk for a short period of time, yet survived to adulthood. Sex‐based differences were not found as males and females were fully weaned at an average of 2.5 (1.9–3.3 years) and 2.4 (1.9–3.6 years) years, respectively. This is an important finding given the contradictory evidence of written sources regarding preferential treatment of male and female infants. Compared with traditional bulk analyses of subadult bone collagen, this study illustrates the utility of additional information obtained from dentin serial sections for capturing the nuances of infant feeding practices in ancient societies.

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Individual dietary patterns during childhood: an archaeological application of a stable isotope microsampling method for tooth dentin

Cited by 29 publications

References 42 publications

Isotopes and new norms: Investigating the emergence of early modern U.K. breastfeeding practices at St. Nicholas Kirk, Aberdeen

Isotopes and new norms: Investigating the emergence of early modern U.K. breastfeeding practices at St. Nicholas Kirk, Aberdeen

Stable isotope analysis of serial samples of third molars as insight into inter- and intra-individual variation in ancient diet

Exploring variation in infant feeding practices in Byzantine Greece using stable isotope analysis of dentin serial sections

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