TY - JOUR

T1 - Early life histories at medieval Mikulčice (ninth–tenth centuries AD, Czechia) based on carbon and nitrogen profiles of tooth dentine

AU - Drtikolová Kaupová, Sylva

AU - Brůžek, Jaroslav

AU - Hadrava, Jiří

AU - Mikšík, Ivan

AU - Morvan, Marine

AU - Poláček, Lumír

AU - Půtová, Lenka

AU - Velemínský, Petr

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to thank the following institutions for their financial support: the Czech Science Foundation (Grant number: 19-13265S), the Czech Ministry of Culture (Grant numbers: DKRVO 2019-2023/7.I.e and DKRVO 2024-2028/7.I.a, 00023272). Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - In order to compare the early life experiences of different population subgroups from the Early Medieval center of Mikulčice, carbon and nitrogen isotopic values were measured in dentine serial sections from the first permanent molar of 78 individuals. Age at death, sex (estimated in subadults with the help of proteomics), and socio-economic status were considered explicative variables. Average values of both nitrogen and carbon maximal isotopic offset within the isotopic profile were 3.1 ± 0.8‰ for Δ15Nmax and 1.6 ± 0.8‰ for Δ13Cmax. Individuals who died during the first decade of life showed earlier ages at the stabilization of the nitrogen isotopic curve (suggesting complete weaning) than older individuals. Most individuals (n = 43) showed positive covariance between δ15N and δ13C values during the period of breastfeeding. The average δ15N values from the post-weaning period were similar to those of bone, while post-weaning δ13C values were significantly higher. Though an increased Δ15Nmax may potentially be evidence of physiological stress, the intra-population comparison of early life experiences does not suggest that individuals who died during their first decade experienced greater levels of environmental stress during infancy. The predominance of positive covariance between carbon and nitrogen isotopic values during the breastfeeding period, together with an increased Δ13Cmax and increased post-weaning δ13C, suggests that millet either was a part of a special diet preferred during lactation or was introduced as a first dietary supplement.

AB - In order to compare the early life experiences of different population subgroups from the Early Medieval center of Mikulčice, carbon and nitrogen isotopic values were measured in dentine serial sections from the first permanent molar of 78 individuals. Age at death, sex (estimated in subadults with the help of proteomics), and socio-economic status were considered explicative variables. Average values of both nitrogen and carbon maximal isotopic offset within the isotopic profile were 3.1 ± 0.8‰ for Δ15Nmax and 1.6 ± 0.8‰ for Δ13Cmax. Individuals who died during the first decade of life showed earlier ages at the stabilization of the nitrogen isotopic curve (suggesting complete weaning) than older individuals. Most individuals (n = 43) showed positive covariance between δ15N and δ13C values during the period of breastfeeding. The average δ15N values from the post-weaning period were similar to those of bone, while post-weaning δ13C values were significantly higher. Though an increased Δ15Nmax may potentially be evidence of physiological stress, the intra-population comparison of early life experiences does not suggest that individuals who died during their first decade experienced greater levels of environmental stress during infancy. The predominance of positive covariance between carbon and nitrogen isotopic values during the breastfeeding period, together with an increased Δ13Cmax and increased post-weaning δ13C, suggests that millet either was a part of a special diet preferred during lactation or was introduced as a first dietary supplement.

KW - Breastfeeding

KW - Central Europe

KW - Diet

KW - Middle Ages

KW - Physiological stress

KW - Stable isotopes

U2 - 10.1007/s12520-023-01923-0

DO - 10.1007/s12520-023-01923-0

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85180729652

VL - 16

JO - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

JF - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

SN - 1866-9557

M1 - 16

ER -