Breastfeeding and Weaning Practices in Ancient Populations: A Cross-Cultural View

Breastfeeding in humans is both a biological process and a culturally determined activity that is shaped by complex interactions of beliefs about health and nutrition, construction of childhood and parental identities, religious values, and lifestyles. Infant feeding practices have important implications for population dynamics, as they affect fertility, morbidity, and mortality patterns. Shortening the duration of breastfeeding has a significant effect on the cognitive and emotional development of children, however it has potential benefits for the survival of the group by shortening inter-birth intervals. Since the discovery that the nitrogen stable isotope ratio (15N/14N) in body tissues can be used to reconstruct breastfeeding and weaning practices (BWPs), there have been numerous studies aimed at developing more precise models to reconstruct BWPs in archaeological populations. These studies have improved our understanding of the social and biological determinants of ancient populations, such as health status, child development, social systems, and reproductive strategies. During this symposium, discussions will explore the new methodologies, models, and sustained uncertainties involved with BWPs reconstruction in Archaeology. The exchange of results regarding the BWPs of ancient populations in different world regions, will further enrich our knowledge of the temporal and cross-cultural variations of BWPs in ancient human groups.