期刊
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
卷 179, 期 1, 页码 118-133出版社
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24591
关键词
bulk collagen stable isotope analysis; compound specific isotope analysis; freshwater resources; Middle Neolithic; weaning
资金
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche [NEOGENRE ANR-17-CE27-0023]
Understanding past weaning practices is crucial for studying social issues in past societies. This study used archaeological research and compound specific isotope analysis to investigate the weaning practices in two Middle Neolithic communities. The findings suggest that protein-based weaning food was more prevalent in the Paris Basin Region than previously thought.
Objectives A clear understanding of past weaning practices can provide invaluable insights into social issues such as infant care, fertility rate, and demographic patterns in past societies. This study presents the first archeological research employing compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) for the reconstruction of past weaning practices. Methods Weaning practices of two Middle Neolithic communities in the Paris Basin region: Balloy (BLR) and Vignely (VPB), are evaluated by combining previously published bone collagen stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur (n = 66) isotope analysis with new compound specific carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of bone collagen (n = 10). Results Our results demonstrate that the diets of individuals from BLR and VPB likely incorporated freshwater resources. The signals of freshwater resources consumption are even stronger among subadults, suggesting that freshwater resources were used as weaning food at these sites. Conclusions The implications of our result are threefold. Currently many CSIA studies in archeology only involve either carbon or nitrogen. Our data shows that it is important to conduct CSIA on both carbon and nitrogen for a more integrated picture. Secondly, our data demonstrates that the use of a protein-based weaning food-instead of a starch-based weaning food (such as cereal gruel)-was likely more prevalent among the Middle Neolithic communities in the Paris Basin Region than previously thought. The finding thus prompts a rethinking of the role of protein-based weaning food in other archeological contexts. Lastly, the common assumption that weaning foods and adult diets share similar isotopic compositions can be problematic, as the use of protein-based, high trophic-level weaning foods can skew the delta N-15 weaning curve and produce an erroneously late estimation for weaning ages.
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