The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial

Yes === Objectives Isotope ratio analyses of dentine collagen were used to characterize short-term changes in physiological status (both dietary status and biological stress) across the life course of children afforded special funerary treatment. Materials and Methods Temporal sequences of δ15N...

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Main Authors: Craig-Atkins, E., Towers, Jacqueline R., Beaumont, Julia
Language:en
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10454/16540
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spelling ndltd-BRADFORD-oai-bradscholars.brad.ac.uk-10454-165402019-08-31T03:04:55Z The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial Craig-Atkins, E. Towers, Jacqueline R. Beaumont, Julia Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios Deciduous teeth Medieval Burial practice Weaning Yes Objectives Isotope ratio analyses of dentine collagen were used to characterize short-term changes in physiological status (both dietary status and biological stress) across the life course of children afforded special funerary treatment. Materials and Methods Temporal sequences of δ15N and δ13C isotope profiles for incrementally-forming dentine collagen were obtained from deciduous teeth of 86 children from four early-medieval English cemeteries. Thirty-one were interred in child-specific burial clusters, and the remainder alongside adults in other areas of the cemetery. Isotope profiles were categorized into four distinct patterns of dietary and health status between the final prenatal months and death. Results Isotope profiles from individuals from the burial clusters were significantly less likely to reflect weaning curves, suggesting distinctive breastfeeding and weaning experiences. This relationship was not simply a factor of differential age at death between cohorts. There was no association of burial location with stage of weaning at death, nor with isotopic evidence of physiological stress at the end of life. Discussion This study is the first to identify a relationship between the extent of breastfeeding and the provision of child-specific funerary rites. Limited breastfeeding may indicate the mother had died during or soon after birth, or that either mother or child was unable to feed due to illness. Children who were not breastfed will have experienced a significantly higher risk of malnutrition, undernutrition and infection. These sickly and perhaps motherless children received care to nourish them during early life, and were similarly provided with special treatment in death. University of Sheffield Early Career Researcher Scheme by a grant awarded to ECA in 2014-15. 2018-08-16T15:02:34Z 2018-08-16T15:02:34Z 2018-11 2018-07-12 2018-08-21 Article Accepted Manuscript Craig-Atkins E, Towers J and Beaumont J (2018) The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 167(3): 644-655. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/16540 en https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23691 © 2018 Wiley. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Craig-Atkins E, Towers J and Beaumont J (2018) The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 167(3): 644-655, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23691. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
collection NDLTD
language en
sources NDLTD
topic Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios
Deciduous teeth
Medieval
Burial practice
Weaning
spellingShingle Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios
Deciduous teeth
Medieval
Burial practice
Weaning
Craig-Atkins, E.
Towers, Jacqueline R.
Beaumont, Julia
The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial
description Yes === Objectives Isotope ratio analyses of dentine collagen were used to characterize short-term changes in physiological status (both dietary status and biological stress) across the life course of children afforded special funerary treatment. Materials and Methods Temporal sequences of δ15N and δ13C isotope profiles for incrementally-forming dentine collagen were obtained from deciduous teeth of 86 children from four early-medieval English cemeteries. Thirty-one were interred in child-specific burial clusters, and the remainder alongside adults in other areas of the cemetery. Isotope profiles were categorized into four distinct patterns of dietary and health status between the final prenatal months and death. Results Isotope profiles from individuals from the burial clusters were significantly less likely to reflect weaning curves, suggesting distinctive breastfeeding and weaning experiences. This relationship was not simply a factor of differential age at death between cohorts. There was no association of burial location with stage of weaning at death, nor with isotopic evidence of physiological stress at the end of life. Discussion This study is the first to identify a relationship between the extent of breastfeeding and the provision of child-specific funerary rites. Limited breastfeeding may indicate the mother had died during or soon after birth, or that either mother or child was unable to feed due to illness. Children who were not breastfed will have experienced a significantly higher risk of malnutrition, undernutrition and infection. These sickly and perhaps motherless children received care to nourish them during early life, and were similarly provided with special treatment in death. === University of Sheffield Early Career Researcher Scheme by a grant awarded to ECA in 2014-15.
author Craig-Atkins, E.
Towers, Jacqueline R.
Beaumont, Julia
author_facet Craig-Atkins, E.
Towers, Jacqueline R.
Beaumont, Julia
author_sort Craig-Atkins, E.
title The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial
title_short The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial
title_full The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial
title_fullStr The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial
title_full_unstemmed The role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: An incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial
title_sort role of infant life histories in the construction of identities in death: an incremental isotope study of dietary and physiological status among children afforded differential burial
publishDate 2018
url http://hdl.handle.net/10454/16540
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