Infant Feeding Practices in Europe and the Mediterranean from Prehistory to the Middle Ages: A Comparison between the Historical Sources and Bioarchaeology

Fulminante, Francesca

doi:10.1179/1758571615z.00000000026

Cited by 39 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Although the profiles do not increase a trophic level, as would be expected with the introduction of breastmilk, the slight increase after birth may reflect a breastfeeding signal being obscured by early‐life stress. The profiles suggest that the individuals in this study were breastfed for the first ~1–6 months of life, and the weaning process was completed between 2 and 3 years of age, which follows the historical medical recommendations during this period (Fulminante, ). Further discussion can be found in Appendix S1.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Childhood “stress” and stable isotope life histories in Transylvania

Crowder

Montgomery

Gröcke

et al. 2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Aims and Objectives Macroscopic skeletal analysis and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis were employed to examine the relationship between skeletal “stress” lesions and changes in the isotopic life history profiles of six nonadults from the Gepid population buried at the Archiud “Hânsuri” Cemetery (4th–7th centuries AD). Materials and Methods The Gepids were a migratory barbarian population in the Carpathian Mountain basin of Transylvania, Romania. Macroscopic skeletal analysis was conducted on 32 individuals, and of those, six nonadults were selected for stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of incrementally sampled dentine. Results Macroscopic skeletal analyses revealed 47% of the analysed population displayed evidence of childhood stress. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ranges were −17.7‰ to −11.8‰ for δ13C and 9.4‰ to 15.1‰ for δ15N. Discussion The overall dietary profile indicates a mixed terrestrial diet (C3/C4) with increased consumption of C4 plants during adolescence. The six nonadults appear to have been breastfed from 1 to 6 months and weaned by 3 years of age. High δ15N values seen in pre‐natal and post‐natal increments may suggest a level of nutritional/physiological stress during gestation and during the transitions from umbilical nutrients, breastmilk, and weaning foods. Although limited by the small sample size, this study supports the link between elevated δ15N values and nutritional stress and the relationship and timing of skeletal lesions with changes in the isotope profiles and was among the first to combine palaeopathological analyses and incremental stable isotope analyses on the Transylvania Gepids.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Childhood “stress” and stable isotope life histories in Transylvania

Crowder

Montgomery

Gröcke

et al. 2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…Weaning age at later medieval Fishergate House (mid-14th/mid-15th century) in the City of York (Burt, 2013: 411; t2 = 1.2-1.8 years, MDE = 1.5 years) is earlier still, completing before either St. Nicholas Kirk (Phase A) or Wharram Percy. By the 14th century, York was one of the most populous cities in England, perhaps reiterating the relationship in the later medieval period between increasing urbanism and a reduction in age at weaning already postulated by other researchers (Fulminante, 2015;Haydock et al, 2013). However, the later commencement of weaning in medieval urban Aberdeen relative to rural Wharram Percy (t1 ranges) cannot be explained similarly and perhaps hint instead at some regional or population-level variations in infant feeding practices during the medieval period.…”

Section: Comparison With Previously Published Data Setsmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…This has also been demonstrated in controlled feeding experiments on skeletal tissues of domestic animals (dentinal collagen; Balasse, Bocherens, Mariotti, & Ambrose, 2001) and on a range of wild species (e.g., dentinal collagen; Fahy et al, 2014;e.g., blood plasma and milk proteins;Jenkins, Partridge, Stephenson, Farley, & Robbins, 2001;Polischuk, Hobson, & Ramsay, 2001). On the basis of these modern studies, nitrogen (and carbon) isotope measurements of archaeological bone collagen from multiple individuals have been used to infer infant feeding and weaning age in a range of archaeological populations (see reviews in Fulminante, 2015;Haydock et al, 2013;Tsutaya & Yoneda, 2015).…”

Section: Stable Isotopes and Infant Feeding Practices In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Today, feeding practices for babies and young infants can be attributed to various ecological and socioeconomic constraints and cultural factors, such as health beliefs and food taboos 1,5 . Prehistoric humans likely practised a range of infant feeding behaviours 2,3,4 , with profound consequences for biological and social wellbeing.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Milk of ruminants in ceramic baby bottles from prehistoric child graves

Dunne

Rebay‐Salisbury

Salisbury

et al. 2019

Nature

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The study of childhood diet, including breastfeeding and weaning, has important implications for infant mortality, early and later life health and fertility in past societies 1. Nitrogen stable isotopic analyses of infant bone collagen and dentine have provided information on the timing and duration of weaning 2 , yet little is known of what foods were consumed by infants in prehistory. Possible infant feeding vessels, made from clay, first appear in Europe in the Neolithic, becoming more commonplace throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages. However, these vessels, complete with a spout, through which liquid could be poured, have also been suggested to be feeding vessels for the sick or infirmed 3,4. Here, we report the first unequivocal evidence for the foods contained in such vessels based on lipid 'fingerprints' and the compound-specific δ 13 C and Δ 13 C values of the major fatty acids (FAs) from three small, spouted vessels found in Bronze and Iron Age infant graves in Bavaria. The results confirm the vessels were used for feeding ruminant milk products to infants, possibly mixed with small amounts of meat broth. This first direct evidence of the type of foodstuffs used either to feed or wean prehistoric infants confirms the importance of animal milk from domesticates for these early communities and provides the first direct information on infant feeding behaviours practised by prehistoric human groups.

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Infant Feeding Practices in Europe and the Mediterranean from Prehistory to the Middle Ages: A Comparison between the Historical Sources and Bioarchaeology

Cited by 39 publications

References 43 publications

Childhood “stress” and stable isotope life histories in Transylvania

Childhood “stress” and stable isotope life histories in Transylvania

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

Milk of ruminants in ceramic baby bottles from prehistoric child graves

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