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Isotopic and dental evidence for infant and young child feeding practices in an imperial Roman skeletal sample
Author(s) -
Prowse Tracy L.,
Saunders Shelley R.,
Schwarcz Henry P.,
Garnsey Peter,
Macchiarelli Roberto,
Bondioli Luca
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.20870
Subject(s) - weaning , breastfeeding , deciduous teeth , isotope analysis , deciduous , dentistry , medicine , demography , pediatrics , biology , ecology , sociology , endocrinology
Abstract This study integrates isotopic, palaeopathological, and historical evidence to investigate infant and young child feeding practices in a Roman period (1st to 3rd centuries AD) skeletal sample from the Isola Sacra necropolis (Rome, Italy). Stable isotope analysis of bone collagen from 37 rib samples indicates that transitional feeding began by the end of the first year and weaning occurred by 2–2.5 years of age. Both δ 15 N and δ 13 C data clearly show the trophic level effect associated with breastfeeding. Childhood diet is investigated using dental pathology data in the deciduous dentitions of 78 individuals aged between 1 and 12 years. The presence of calculus, caries, and tooth wear in young children suggests that individuals were provided complementary foods and other items that impacted their dental health at an early age. The isotopic and dental data are generally consistent with the historical evidence from the Roman period with respect to the general timetable of weaning and the character of complementary foods. This is the first study to integrate isotopic and deciduous dental pathology data to explore infant and young child feeding practices in the Roman world. Am J Phys Anthropol 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.