Early Childhood in Precolonial South America

Breastfeeding, Infant Mortality, and Stable Isotopes Analysis in Southeastern Shell Mound Builders During the Middle Holocene (7th–5th Millennium BP)

Bibliographic Data

ID12371577
AuthorsMarina Di Giusto (0000-0002-4595-4487, Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology University of Sao Paulo São Paulo Brazil, corresponding author), Estelle Herrscher (0000-0001-9339-4325, CNRS Université Aix‐Marseille, LAMPEA Marseille France), K Jaouen (0000-0003-2820-5035, CNRS, Géosciences Environnement Toulouse Observatoire Midi‐Pyrénées Toulouse France), Murilo Bastos (0000-0002-5258-0217, National Museum Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Brazil), L Mion (0000-0002-0717-7015, School of History, Archaeology and Religion Cardiff University Cardiff UK), Veronica Welosowski (0000-0002-4685-1500, Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology University of Sao Paulo São Paulo Brazil)
Year2024
Volume35
Issue1
Publication date2024-12-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.3381
OpenAlexW4405822862
LanguageEN
References cited64

This article presents and discusses isotopic data on breastfeeding, weaning, and complementary diet during early childhood in Middle Holocene southeastern Brazil. The study focuses on human individuals from two contemporaneous shell mounds, Piaçaguera (7151–5668 yBP) and Moraes (6791–5590 yBP), which show distinct patterns of infant mortality. We conducted δ 15 N and δ 13 C analyses on collagen extracted from subadult bones (Piaçaguera: n = 13; Moraes: n = 13) and sequential dentine slices from permanent (Piaçaguera: n = 7; Moraes: n = 11) and deciduous teeth (Moraes: n = 5). Our findings indicate that weaning ended between 2 and 4 years old in Piaçaguera, with complementary foods similar to the adults. At Moraes, weaning ended between 2 and 5 years old, with a higher consumption of freshwater fish during early childhood and by pregnant women. The weaning ages at Piaçaguera and Moraes align with those documented in other precolonial South American groups. However, our study suggests different dietary preferences and strategies within each group, possibly linked to distinct patterns of infant mortality, particularly evident in the Moraes group

Archaeology · Biology · Breastfeeding · Holocene · Weaning · Demography · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · History · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Medicine · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Pediatrics

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