title: Weaning practices among pastoralists: New evidence of infant feeding patterns from Bronze Age Eurasia.
abstract: This paper investigates infant feeding practices through stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen from Kamennyi Ambar 5, a Middle Bronze Age cemetery located in central Eurasia. The results presented are unique for the time period and region, as few cemeteries have been excavated to reveal a demographic cross-section of the population. Studies of weaning among pastoral societies are infrequent and this research adds to our knowledge of the timing, potential supplementary foods, and cessation of breastfeeding practices.
  
  
  
  Samples were collected from 41 subadults (<15 years) and 27 adults (15+ years). Isotopic reference sets from adult humans as well as faunal remains were utilized as these form the primary and complementary foods fed to infants.
  
  
  
  Slight shifts in δ13C and δ15N values revealed that weaning was a multi-stage process (breastfeeding, weaning, and complete cessation of nursing) that began at 6 months of age, occurred over several years of early childhood, and was completed by 4 years of age.
  
  
  
  Our results indicate that weaning was a multi-stage process that was unique among late prehistoric pastoralist groups in Eurasia that were dependent on milk products as a supplementary food. Our discussion centers on supporting this hypothesis with modern information on central and east Eurasian herding societies including the age at which complementary foods are introduced, the types of complementary foods, and the timing of the cessation of breastfeeding. Integral to this work is the nature of pastoral economies and their dependence on animal products, the impact of complementary foods on nutrition and health, and how milk processing may have affected nutrition content and digestibility of foods. This research on Eurasian pastoralists provides insights into the complexities of weaning among prehistoric pastoral societies as well as the potential for different complementary foods to be incorporated into infant diets in the past.
authors: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Human Development in Landscapes, Institute for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, Archaeological Stable Isotope Laboratory, Johanna-Mestorf-Straße 2-6, Kiel, 24118, Germany.
authors: Alicia
authors: A
authors: Ventresca Miller
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260.
authors: Bryan K
authors: BK
authors: Hanks
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260.
authors: Margaret
authors: M
authors: Judd
authors: Institute of History and Archaeology, Yekaterinburg, Russia.|Southern Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia.
authors: Andrey
authors: A
authors: Epimakhov
authors: Institute of Northern Development, Tyumen, Russia.
authors: Dmitry
authors: D
authors: Razhev
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000266:history; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003611:Dairy Products / Q000266:history; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D014886:Weaning / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes
keywords: Sintashta; dairy products; life histories; paleodiet; stable isotope analysis