Weaning time in domestic sheep through carbon and nitrogen isotopes
Testing dentine sequential analyses in modern specimens
Datos Bibliográficos
| ID | 7476511 |
|---|---|
| Autores | Celia Díez‐canseco (0000-0003-0221-745X, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, autor de correspondencia), C Tornero (0000-0002-2870-8989, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona) |
| Año | 2026 |
| Volumen | 71 |
| Páginas | 105651-105651 |
| Fecha de publicación | 2026-02-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Sí |
| Open Access | Sí |
| Tipo | ARTICLE |
| Revista | Journal of Archaeological Science Reports (JOURNAL) |
| Identificadores de la revista | ISSN: 2352-409X • E-ISSN: 2352-4103 |
| Editorial | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105651 |
| OpenAlex | W7131133749 |
| Idioma | EN |
| Referencias citadas | 62 |
Sequential δ 13 C and δ 15 N in dentine track weaning time in a modern sheep flock. • Artificial early weaning is detectable in dentine collagen. • First reference dataset for weaning time in domestic sheep provided. • The method enables studying sheep’s role in dairying in past economies. The age at weaning in domestic dairy animals is a focus of interest in archaeological research due to its connection to milk production. Artificial weaning (i.e., before natural weaning age) is a common strategy intended to balance physiological and nutritional needs of both mother and offspring while increasing milk supply for human consumption. Nitrogen stable isotope analyses of bone or dentine collagen have been widely used to reconstruct weaning histories in humans and other mammals, as they reflect the trophic step present in the dietary shift between breastfeeding and an exclusively solid diet. Specifically, sequential or intra-tooth δ 15 N analyses of dentine collagen allow exploration of this process with higher time resolution and the estimation of the age at which weaning occurs. While these approaches have been previously conducted on dairy cows, the topic has been barely explored in domestic caprines, partially due to the smaller tooth size and the lack of reference data for studying weaning time in these species. In this study, we implement sequential δ 13 C and δ 15 N analyses of dentine collagen in early-weaned (two months old) sheep from a modern experimental flock. We analyse the lower first molars of five specimens and assess the suitability of the approach for identifying artificial weaning in sheep dentine. The weaning process can be traced through the carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of dentine-collagen samples, and the position of dietary changes in the sequences is not affected by the dental developmental stage and the age of death. The study demonstrates that the method offers enough time resolution to track weaning practices in medium-size dairy species as caprines, and provides a first reference dataset for weaning time in domestic sheep. Implementing these incremental analyses in zooarchaeological assemblages would allow the investigation of human technical skills in managing lactation and weaning in the past, as well as the role of caprines in dairy production
Breastfeeding · Lactation · Molar · Offspring · Pregnancy · Weaning · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
Direct Demonstration of Milk as an Element of Archaeological Economies
The isotope record of short- and long-term dietary changes in sheep tooth enamel
Stepwise enrichment of 15N along food chains
Stable carbon isotopic evidence for differences in the dietary origin of bone cholesterol, collagen and apatite
Experimental Evidence for the Relationship of the Carbon Isotope Ratios of Whole Diet and Dietary Protein to Those of Bone Collagen and Carbonate
Regional asynchronicity in dairy production and processing in early farming communities of the northern Mediterranean
Direct chemical evidence for widespread dairying in prehistoric Britain
Effect of Diet Quality and Composition on the Isotopic Composition of Respiratory CO2, Bone Collagen, Bioapatite, and Soft Tissues
Earliest date for milk use in the Near East and southeastern Europe linked to cattle herding
Influence of diet on the distribution of carbon isotopes in animals
Influence of diet on the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in animals
Nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of bone collagen from marine and terrestrial animals
Early Weaning of Neolithic Domestic Cattle (Bercy, France) Revealed by Intra-tooth Variation in Nitrogen Isotope Ratios
Some reflections on the origins and intensification of dairying in the archaeological record
“Mind the gap”—Assessing methods for aligning age determination and growth rate in multi‐molar sequences of dietary isotopic data
Perinatal ovicaprine remains and evidence of shepherding activities in Early Holocene enclosure caves
What is on the menu today? Creating a microwear reference collection through a controlled-food trial to study feeding management systems of ancient agropastoral societies
A Species Specific Investigation Into Sheep and Goat Husbandry During the Early European Neolithic
The reconstruction of mammal individual history
Focus
Detection of Dietary Changes by Intra-tooth Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopic Analysis
Stable Nitrogen Isotopes as Evidence for the Age of Weaning at the Angel Site
Estimating weaning and early childhood diet from serial micro-samples of dentin collagen
New methods for old challenges
Intra-bone Variability of Collagen and Apatite Isotopic Composition Used as Evidence of a Change of Diet
Kill-off Patterns in Sheep and Goats
Childhood Diet
Detection of breastfeeding and weaning in modern human infants with carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios
Using stable isotope analysis to examine the effect of economic change on breastfeeding practices in Spitalfields, London, UK
Early life histories of the London poor using δ 1 3 C and δ 15 N stable isotope incremental dentine sampling
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of bone and teeth reflect weaning age at the Medieval Wharram Percy site, Yorkshire, UK
The Origins of Milk and Wool Production in the Old World
Use of Animal Fibres during the Neolithisation in the Middle Euphrates Valley (Syria)
Sheep exploitation and husbandry in first farming societies
Nitrogen isotopes in mammalian herbivores
Imaging-assisted time-resolved dentine sampling to track weaning histories
Intra-tooth isotopic analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of dentine collagen in high-crowned teeth
The secondary exploitation of animals in the Old World
The Secondary Products Revolution
Sophisticated cattle dairy husbandry at Borduşani-Popină (Romania, fifth millennium BC)
| Velocidad de citación | historical |
|---|---|
| Altamente citado | No |