Haydock, H, Clarke, L, Craig-Atkins, E et al. (2 more authors) (2013) Weaning at Anglo-Saxon raunds: Implications for changing breastfeeding practice in britain over two millennia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 151 (4). 604 - 612. ISSN 0002-9483
Abstract
This study investigated stable-isotope ratio evidence of weaning for the late Anglo-Saxon population of Raunds Furnells, Northamptonshire, UK. δ(15) N and δ(13) C values in rib collagen were obtained for individuals of different ages to assess the weaning age of infants within the population. A peak in δ(15) N values at about 2-year-old, followed by a decline in δ(15) N values until age three, indicates a change in diet at that age. This change in nitrogen isotope ratios corresponds with the mortality profile from the site, as well as with archaeological and documentary evidence on attitudes towards juveniles in the Anglo-Saxon period. The pattern of δ(13) C values was less clear. Comparison of the predicted age of weaning to published data from sites dating from the Iron Age to the 19th century in Britain reveals a pattern of changing weaning practices over time, with increasingly earlier commencement and shorter periods of complementary feeding in more recent periods. Such a change has implications for the interpretation of socioeconomic changes during this period of British history, since earlier weaning is associated with decreased birth spacing, and could thus have contributed to population growth. Am J Phys Anthropol 151:604-612, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2013 Wiley-Blackwell. This is an author produced pre-print of a paper subsequently published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. This version does not contain changes made during the peer-review process. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Anglo-Saxon; bone collagen; carbon isotope ratio; nitrogen isotope ratio; weaning |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > Department of Archaeology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 07 Aug 2013 13:02 |
Last Modified: | 15 Sep 2014 03:11 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22316 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | John Wiley & Sons |
Refereed: | No |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/ajpa.22316 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:76159 |