Jay Mandy, Fuller B T, Richards Michael P, Knüsel Christopher J, King Sarah S
Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2008 Jul;136(3):327-37. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.20815.
We present here the results of carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis of bone collagen undertaken on all skeletal remains of infants and young children below the age of 6 years (n = 34) from the internationally important British cemetery site at Wetwang Slack in East Yorkshire (middle Iron Age, ca. 4th to 2nd centuries BC). The aim of the study is to investigate infant diet, with particular reference to breastfeeding and weaning practices, and to compare the data with previously published studies of archaeological populations, particularly in the context of the variation in data patterns to be seen between sites. The skeletal remains from Wetwang Slack form the only prehistoric collection in the UK, prior to the Romano-British period, with sufficient individuals in this age group to make such an isotopic study viable alongside associated adults and older children. The data are compared in detail with published data from two other sites, one from 19th century Canada and the other from Medieval Britain. The results suggest an unusual situation at Wetwang Slack, with neither the nitrogen nor the carbon isotope ratios conforming to expectations when compared with the putative mothers. We discuss how these data compare with the expectation for breastfed infants and we interpret the divergence in this case to be due to restricted breastfeeding and the early introduction of supplementary foods.
我们在此展示了对来自东约克郡韦特旺·斯莱克（铁器时代中期，约公元前4世纪至2世纪）具有国际重要意义的英国墓地遗址中所有6岁以下婴幼儿骨骼遗骸（n = 34）的骨胶原进行碳氮同位素分析的结果。本研究的目的是调查婴儿饮食，特别关注母乳喂养和断奶方式，并将数据与先前发表的考古人群研究进行比较，尤其是在不同遗址间数据模式差异的背景下。韦特旺·斯莱克的骨骼遗骸构成了英国罗马 - 不列颠时期之前唯一的史前藏品，该年龄组有足够数量的个体，使得这样一项同位素研究能够与相关的成年人及大龄儿童研究同时进行。我们将这些数据与另外两个遗址已发表的数据进行了详细比较，一个来自19世纪的加拿大，另一个来自中世纪的英国。结果表明韦特旺·斯莱克存在一种不同寻常的情况，与假定的母亲相比，氮和碳同位素比率均不符合预期。我们讨论了这些数据与母乳喂养婴儿预期情况的比较，并且将这种差异解释为母乳喂养受限和过早引入辅食所致。
