Breastfeeding patterns and diet in five 17th-century children from Sund, Åland Islands

• Breastfeeding patterns and diet in five 17th-century children from Sund on the Åland Islands were studied by means of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of bone and teeth. Although all individuals derive from the same burial context, the high-status location inside the church, they nevertheless show differences in diet and breastfeeding patterns. We found two dietary groups: one consuming almost exclusively terrestrial protein resources, and the other a mixture of marine and terrestrial resources, with a predominance of terrestrial protein. The individual breastfeeding patterns show great variability – from no breastfeeding at all, to exclusive breastfeeding for ten months. Weaning varied both with regard to onset and pace. The overall diet indicates that the analysed individuals originate from two different environments, possibly mainland Åland and the outer archipelago, respectively.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

archaeology

isotope

carbon

nitrogen

diet

breastfeeding

weaning

model

Åland

Sund

children

historical

17th century

Baltic Sea

Archaeology subjects

Arkeologiämnen

Archaeological Science

laborativ arkeologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kap (ämneskategori)