Babes, bones, and isotopes: A stable isotope investigation on nonadults from Aventicum, Roman Switzerland (first–third century CE)

Abstract

AbstractThe study of infant feeding practices in archaeological populations can aid in the understanding of cultural attitudes towards dietary choices and how specific circumstances experienced by mothers and their offspring influence childhood health and survivorship. Breastfeeding and weaning patterns have received increased interest in Roman bioarchaeology, especially through the application of stable isotopic investigation of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) values. This study presents the stable isotopic results of the first Roman bone sample analysed from Switzerland (30 nonadults and nine females), allowing us an unprecedented insight into health and diet at the site of Aventicum/Avenches, the capital city of the territory of Helvetii in Roman times (first–third century AD). The fact that the majority of the nonadult samples subject to stable isotope analysis were perinates highlights the complex relationship between their δ15N and δ13C values and those of adult females, as different factors, including variation of fetal and maternal stable isotope values, the possible effects of intrauterine growth, and maternal/fetal disease and/or nutritional stress (e.g., nutritional deficiencies such as scurvy, parasitic infections, such as malaria), could have influenced the observed elevated δ15N values.