Child and adolescent diet in Late Roman Gaul: An investigation of incremental dietary stable isotopes in tooth dentine

Abstract

Incremental analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in tooth dentine is used to explore child and adolescent diet among individuals in the Late Roman Michelet Necropolis (Lisieux, France; fourth to fifth centuries CE). We analyzed 292 incremental sections from 46 second and third molars to explore dietary patterns between the ages of 4.5 and 23.5 years. Results indicate that individuals consumed more, or higher trophic level, terrestrial-based animal proteins as they aged. Sex-based comparisons also suggest that males and females consumed isotopically similar diets for most of their childhood; however, around age 16.5, males exhibited significantly lower δ 15 N values than females with a large effect size (U = 21.0, p = 0.012, g = 1.3). This difference in diet occurs during an important age-based social change in the Roman life course, as individuals transitioned from childhood (pueritia) to adolescence (adulescentia). When the isotopic data are combined with literary and archaeological evidence, it suggests that this was the point when men and women diverged in their life course trajectories. Young men were expected to begin apprenticeships or military duty away from home, whereas women were kept close to their family home at this age. The isotopic results suggest these gendered experiences may have influenced dietary choices or access to foods at Lisieux-Michelet. The results of this study demonstrate the utility of using permanent dentition in adult remains to explore childhood experiences and provide new insights into child and adolescent diet and gendered experiences in the context of the Late Roman Empire.

Puberty in pre‐Roman times: A bioarchaeological study of Etruscan‐Samnite adolescents from Pontecagnano (southern Italy)

“…Factors like malnutrition, psychological stress and strenuous physical activity can highly impact pubertal development (Fricke et al, 2019; Lewis et al, 2016a; Malina, 1983; Rogol et al, 2000; Soliman et al, 2014). In this regard, some of the adolescents in Pontecagnano could have been exposed to dietary restrictions, as documented in Roman society (Alberici & Harlow, 2007; Avery et al, 2021; Syrogianni, 2020), or could have been involved in physically demanding activity, including military training as commonly attested among Samnites (Gentile et al, 2018; Sparacello et al, 2015).…”

Infancy, childhood, and puberty on the Silk Road revealed with isotopic analysis of incremental dentine

“…Previous research about past breastfeeding, weaning and childhood dietary practices were mainly based on limited evidence inferred from historical documents and archaeological findings 5 , 7 , 15 . However, in past decades, isotopic research has emerged as an effective means for this area of research.…”

“…bones from known age nonadults) and adulthood it is possible to investigate past breastfeeding and weaning practices 5,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] . However, this approach can be problematic due to the difficulties in estimating osteological age in nonadults, the lack of discrete temporal resolutions in bone turnover rates as well as the osteological paradox regarding the representativeness of non-adults` bones, or in other words, "non-survivals", in mortuary contexts 4,6,7,15 .…”

“…However, the processes of breastfeeding, weaning and childhood food ways are conditioned by not only the basic physiological needs of the child, but also multiple social, economic and ecological factors beyond the child itself, such as parental education, work requirements, religious beliefs, subsistence strategies, mobility behaviors, availability of suitable infant foods, living environments, social ideas, identities and even status 3 , 4 , 6 . In this context, childhood dietary practices reflect the deep entanglement of biology and culture, and bonds together the material and in-material aspects of human lives 5 , 7 . Thus, there is a high degree of variability in terms of the timing and duration of breastfeeding and weaning practices, as well as the composition of childhood food sources between different human groups and societies 3 .…”

“…The dynamic nature of childhood dietary practices highlights the pluralistic way in which “dietary”, “biological” and “social” aspects of the body are viewed, and calls for the incorporation of childhood social theory, especially social age categories, into pre-adulthood studies 7 , 8 . According to historical literature, the earliest human life phase in ancient China was known as “ Qiang Bao ” (baby in swaddling clothes) which represents infancy or from birth to ~ 1 year of age 9 .…”