A chemical analysis of a series of Bronze and Iron Age ceramic feeding containers suggests that prehistoric European infants and toddlers were already bottle feeding animal milk, possibly the earliest archaeological evidence of infant weaning.
The research, published in the journal Nature , offers unprecedented insights into Bronze Age and Iron Age European cultural norms related to child care and weaning practices.
And it is that small glasses with nipple-shaped nozzles have been found, along with the remains of small children in graves throughout Europe. They date back to 5,500 BC. C. and became increasingly common from the late Bronze Age to the early Iron Age.
The shapes and locations of the objects suggest that they are ancient sippers, presumably fresh cow’s or goat’s milk.
To obtain strong evidence about what was stored in these ceramic containers, British and German researchers conducted a series of chemical tests on the thin film of material attached to the inner wall of two small containers found in a cemetery in the lower valley. of Altmühl in Bavaria (Germany).
Prehistoric baby bottles
Both were around 50 millimeters wide and intact. Unlike the other containers, these had wide openings that made their contents easier to scrape off. A third broken container found among the cremated remains of a small child was also studied.
The researchers discovered that the preserved organic matter was made up of large amounts of animal fats, the kind you would find in ancient remains of milk. Some shorter fatty acid chains were also detected. These are not exactly common in ancient pottery, and appear to be signs that the milk being consumed was likely fresh rather than processed.
A more detailed analysis of the contents suggests one of the two intact containers and the broken cup once stored milk from a ruminant , such as a cow or goat. The other container contained a mixture, possibly from a pig or a human.
“The finding of these three obviously specialized containers in infant graves combined with our chemical evidence strongly suggests that these containers have been used to feed babies with animal milk (rather than human milk) or children during food weaning. supplementary “, point out the authors.
Diet
To what extent these materials would have supplemented human breast milk is not entirely clear, although it is unlikely that they were its sole source of nutrition. Non-human milk lacks qualities that help children develop, while it contains fats that make it difficult to absorb nutrients. There is also the problem of a small but higher risk of pathogen contamination (unpasteurized milk was probably a source of zoonotic pathogens ).
Previous studies had concluded that animal-shaped pottery from Neolithic sites throughout the Mediterranean contained traces of dairy products, indicating that the practice of giving milk to children, who are less likely to be intolerant, may have been widespread. .
Despite all the risks, they must have found benefits from giving children these bottles, either to add nutrition in times of scarcity or for cultural reasons.
Connecting with our past
The exact reason we humans made use of this resource remains a mystery, but how we ever wean our children could help us understand the cultural side of such a transition .
Despite the health risks of substituting human milk for animal milk, whether known or unknown to prehistoric Europeans, this find offers a fascinating snapshot of the intimate details of ancient family life. Like all good archeology, it is a discovery that connects us to our ancient past.
Referencia: J. Dunne et al. “Milk of ruminants in ceramic baby bottles from prehistoric child graves” Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1572-x
Siân Halcrow. “Early European babiesbottle-fed animal milk” Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02805-z
