Objective

To reconstruct breastfeeding and weaning practices, metabolic stress including tuberculosis-induced wasting, and residential mobility of children in Neolithic and Metal Ages to infer their local ecologies.

Materials

Seven permanent teeth from individuals dated to the Neolithic, Copper, Bronze, and Iron Ages buried in nearby caves in western Liguria, Italy.

Methods

Carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotope analyses on dentine microsections. Tooth maturation was used to calculate age at death.

Results

Two Neolithic children present longer pattern of weaning and appear to have been weaned using animal protein in contrast to the earlier weaning of Metal Ages children, which were probably weaned with vegetable resources. Sulfur isotopes suggest local origin of Neolithic and Cooper Age children, and non-local origins for Bronze and Iron Age children. Intense catabolism in the last two years is apparent in the adolescent with tuberculosis.

Conclusions

Shortening in weaning patterns during the Metal Ages are likely driven by the intensification of agricultural practices and cultivation of new crops during Bronze and Iron Ages. Neolithic food choices and delayed weaning patterns may represent one of the strategies to maximize growth and immune potential in a local economy/ecology with high-infectious load. Tuberculosis was a chronic and long-lasting disease.

Significance

The first combined carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur analysis on prehistoric dentine microsections revealing changing human life history adaptations within the same region.

Limitations

Small sample size.

Suggestions for further research

Increase the sulfur isotope dataset, use new EA-IRMS equipment, and provide data on amino acid to better define weaning food composition.

中文翻译：

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牙本质显微切片的多代理稳定同位素分析揭示了史前利古里亚（意大利菲纳莱利古雷，地中海西北部）的生活史适应性，活动性和结核病引起的浪费的历时性变化。

目的

为了重建母乳喂养和断奶的习惯，包括结核病引起的浪费在内的新陈代谢压力，以及新石器时代和金属时代儿童的居住活动以推断其当地生态。

用料

来自意大利利古里亚西部附近洞穴中的新石器时代，铜时代，青铜时代和铁器时代的七颗恒牙。

方法

牙本质显微切片上的碳，氮和硫稳定同位素分析。牙齿成熟用于计算死亡年龄。

结果

与较早的金属时代儿童断奶相反，两个新石器时代儿童断奶的时间更长，并且似乎已经使用动物蛋白断奶了，而金属时代的孩子断奶时可能断奶了蔬菜资源。硫同位素表明新石器时代和库珀时代儿童的本地起源，青铜时代和铁器时代儿童的非本地起源。在最近的结核病青少年中，最近两年的强烈分解代谢明显。

结论

在金属时代，断奶模式的缩短可能是由于青铜时代和铁时代的农业实践的加强和新作物的种植所致。新石器时代的食物选择和延迟的断奶模式可能代表了在具有高传染性的地方经济/生态环境中最大化生长和免疫潜能的策略之一。结核病是一种长期的持久性疾病。

意义

对史前牙质显微切片进行的首次碳，氮和硫组合分析揭示了同一地区内人类生活史适应性的变化。

局限性

样本量小。

进一步研究的建议

增加硫同位素数据集，使用新的EA-IRMS设备，并提供氨基酸数据以更好地定义断奶食品成分。