Exploring variation in infant feeding practices in Byzantine Greece using stable isotope analysis of dentin serial sections

Infant feeding practices are explored in the early Byzantine Greek site of Nemea (5th-6th centuries) to better understand breastfeeding, weaning, and early diet of children in ancient Greece. Dentin serial sections were obtained from the permanent first molars and first premolars of 26 adults (seven males, eight females, and 11 of unknown sex) and analyzed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. The isotopic data demonstrated that most individuals were breastfed and were fully weaned by around 2.6years on average (range 1.8 to 3.6years). A range of infant feeding practices was observed at Nemea. Some individuals were breastfed, while others were never breastfed or consumed breast milk for a short period of time, yet survived to adulthood. Sex-based differences were not found as males and females were fully weaned at an average of 2.5 (1.9-3.3years) and 2.4 (1.9-3.6years) years, respectively. This is an important finding given the contradictory evidence of written sources regarding preferential treatment of male and female infants. Compared with traditional bulk analyses of subadult bone collagen, this study illustrates the utility of additional information obtained from dentin serial sections for capturing the nuances of infant feeding practices in ancient societies.