Born in a brothel
New Perspectives on Childcare With Medieval Sex Workers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5256343 |
|---|---|
| Authors | M Poulain (0000-0001-5385-7460), Céline Bon (0000-0001-5422-3232), J L A Palmer (0000-0002-0964-0026) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1866-9557 • E-ISSN: 1866-9565 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12520-025-02218-2 |
| OpenAlex | W4409507287 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 46 |
In contrast to predominant narratives of abortion and infanticide with medieval sex workers, this case study testifies to the potential care given to prostitutes' children. It does so through ancient DNA and dietary stable isotope analyses of an infant buried in a 14th-century brothel in Aalst, Belgium. While no pathogens were identified, elevated δ15N values suggest breastfeeding. Infanticide in the strictest understanding of the term, immediately after birth, is therefore unlikely. Still, the presence of this infant outside of a regular cemetery is remarkable. Based on comparable sites and theological and popular beliefs, this deviant burial is interpreted within its domestic geography, which is suggestive of attachment and of an affective bond between parent and child. Thus, this study nuances the historical focus on abortion and infanticide with medieval sex workers and highlights the multiple roles of these women, including, potentially, that of caring mothers
Ethnology · Geography · Population · Research methodology · Sex workers · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Demography · Gender Studies · History · Sex work and related issues
Reflections
The Brothel of Pompeii
Medieval Life
Growing Up In medieval London
The rise and fall of excess male infant mortality
Signs of malnutrition and starvation—Reconstruction of nutritional life histories by serial isotopic analyses of hair
Effect of Diet Quality and Composition on the Isotopic Composition of Respiratory CO2, Bone Collagen, Bioapatite, and Soft Tissues
The Great Irish Famine
Nitrogen balance and δ 15 N
Illumina Sequencing Library Preparation for Highly Multiplexed Target Capture and Sequencing
Postmortem preservation and alteration of in vivo bone collagen isotope ratios in relation to palaeodietary reconstruction
Common Women
« De grace especial »
Les revenants
Houses of Ill Repute
Beyond diet reconstruction
Death and Burial in Medieval England, 1066-1550
De la Grande Abbaye au Château Vert
Babies in the Privy
Determining the Sex of Infanticide Victims from the Late Roman Era through Ancient DNA Analysis
Comparison of two methods of extracting bone collagen for stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis
Preparation and characterization of bone and tooth collagen for isotopic analysis
Abortion Medieval Style? Assaults on Pregnant Women in Later Medieval England
Dead Infants, Cruel Mothers, and Heroic Popes
Using stable isotope analysis to examine the effect of economic change on breastfeeding practices in Spitalfields, London, UK
Iron Age breastfeeding practices in Britain
Infant Death and the Archaeology of Grief
Sanctifying the House
Women and Stews
Wraiths, Revenants and Ritual in Medieval Culture
Hearth and Home
La prostitution florentine au XVe siècle
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |