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Nursing mothers and feeding bottles: reconstructing breastfeeding and weaning patterns in Greek Byzantine populations (6th–15th centuries AD) using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios

Bourbou, Chryssi ; Fuller, Benjamin T. ; Garvie-Lok, Sandra J. ; Richards, Michael P.

Journal of archaeological science, 2013-11, Vol.40 (11), p.3903-3913 [Periódico revisado por pares]

Kidlington: Elsevier Ltd

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  • Título:
    Nursing mothers and feeding bottles: reconstructing breastfeeding and weaning patterns in Greek Byzantine populations (6th–15th centuries AD) using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios
  • Autor: Bourbou, Chryssi ; Fuller, Benjamin T. ; Garvie-Lok, Sandra J. ; Richards, Michael P.
  • Assuntos: Ancient civilizations of the near east ; Art and archaeology ; Breastfeeding and weaning patterns ; Byzantine period ; Byzantium ; Generalities ; Greece ; Laboratory technics ; Mesopotamia and Near East ; Methods ; Minor Asia and Hittites ; Physical and chemical analysis ; Research principies ; Stable isotopes
  • É parte de: Journal of archaeological science, 2013-11, Vol.40 (11), p.3903-3913
  • Descrição: Traditionally, documentary evidence (mainly medical works and the vitae and miracles of saints) served as the primary source of information for perinatal nutrition in the Byzantine era. In the last decade, however, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio analysis has also been applied for the reconstruction of Byzantine breastfeeding and weaning practices. This paper reviews the documentary evidence for Byzantine weaning and compares it to isotopic data for eight Greek Byzantine skeletal samples from the sites of Eleutherna, Kastella, Messene, Sourtara, Stylos, Nemea, Petras and Servia (6th–15th centuries AD). The documentary evidence suggests that Byzantine children were weaned at a relatively late age. The age patterning of the stable isotope data is not as clear as normally seen at single sites. However, the presence of a higher proportion of elevated values in juveniles aged three years or less suggests that weaning was completed by the fourth year—a pattern consistent with the written sources. The data available from this study allow us to make some tentative suggestions about cultural and temporal differences in weaning, and to recommend directions for further research. A comparison of the Byzantine data presented here to data published for Roman-era sites from the Mediterranean and Western Europe suggests that the Byzantines maintained a Roman-era practice of relatively late weaning. In contrast, medieval data for Western Europe and the few measurements made on post-Byzantine Greek material suggest more variation, with some groups weaning late and others weaning earlier, by two years of age. •We study Byzantine weaning age using bone collagen stable isotope analysis.•Data from eight Byzantine Greek sites are standardized and amalgamated.•The results suggest weaning was completed by four years of age.•This late weaning is consistent with results from Roman-era sites.•In contrast, some later medieval groups seem to have weaned their infants earlier.
  • Editor: Kidlington: Elsevier Ltd
  • Idioma: Inglês
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  • Realização: ABCD-USP USP   Logos de Redes Sociais: Freepik

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