Keywords

Bioarchaeology; Stable Isotopes; Breastfeeding and Weaning; Kellis; Dakhleh Oasis

Abstract

In many studies into the infant breastfeeding and weaning practices of ancient communities, it is often the case that a failure to incorporate the isotopic signatures of different tissues leads to a degree of unreliability in breastfeeding and weaning practices (BWP) reconstructions. Using isotopic signatures found in the bone, dentition, and hair tissues of a sample of 171 adults and 164 non-adults, this study addresses a current research gap and builds on previous research, presenting a more thorough examination of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) values found in the Kellis 2 Cemetery population of the Dakhleh Oasis. These isotopic signatures were used to reconstruct breastfeeding and weaning patterns experienced by the infants and children who lived in Kellis during the Roman period in Egypt (AD 50-450). The results show that infants between 1 and 3 years of age displayed overall enriched δ13C and δ15N values compared with the adult average. Between ages 6 months and 1.5 years, infants maintain a position one trophic level higher than the adult female samples and all non-adult isotopic values in the variant tissues show weaning to be complete by around 2.5-3 years of age. Results of the study present general weaning patterns similar to those reported in a previous study by Dupras et al., 2001, and lend further support to established trends, with slight improvements in the precision of timeline reconstruction. The results highlight the importance of using tissues other than bone collagen for the extraction of isotopes and suggest a need for further study of these BWP to gain a full comprehension of the heterogeneous dietary behaviors and cultural attitudes towards childrearing that were present at Kellis.

Thesis Completion Year

2024

Thesis Completion Semester

Fall

Thesis Chair

Williams, Lana

College

College of Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Thesis Discipline

Anthropology

Language

English

Access Status

Campus Access

Length of Campus Access

1 year

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Rights Statement

In Copyright