Breastfeeding, weaning and childhood diet in cave and megalithic populations of Late Neolithic north-central Spain

Summary

Stable carbon and nitrogen data of adult/adolescent human bone collagen from north-central Spanish Late Neolithic (ca. 3500-2900 cal. BC) provide evidence for the existence of significant isotopic differences among and between communities living in close proximity and burying their dead in caves and megalithic graves. This, together with previously identified distinct funerary selection patterns, suggests an unsuspected complex social or cultural differentiation. The purpose of this paper is to extend the isotopic investigation to infants and young children, in order to determine at what age isotopic/dietary difference appears and if divergences can also be seen in breastfeeding and weaning practices. This may have implications for whether these are two distinct populations, or some other division within society that occurs from a certain age. To this end, stable carbon and nitrogen analyses on infant bone collagen and on high-resolution incremental dentine samples of first permanent molars are conducted, increasing precision in considering weaning chronologies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Breastfeeding and Weaning Practices in Ancient Populations: A Cross-Cultural View   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15787