Baby bones, food, and health: Stable isotopic evidence for infant feeding practices in the Greek colony of Apollonia (5th-- 2nd centuries B.C.)

The aim of this research is to examine infant feeding patterns in the ancient Greek colony of Apollonia (5th--2nd Centuries B.C.) on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. Collagen from the ribs of 64 subadults, ranging in age from 3 months to 15 years, are analyzed for stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes to determine the general age at which weaning was initiated and terminated, and the types of foods onto which infants were weaned. From the stable isotopic evidence, weaning is observed to begin around 1 year and ends around 3 to 5 years of age. Furthermore, the subadult diet is compared to that of the adults to investigate whether the children consumed a different type of diet than the adults of Apollonia. In addition, the stable isotopic data is integrated with the palaeopathological and archaeological evidence as well as ancient literary sources to further explore infant feeding practices at Apollonia. Finally, the Apollonian weaning pattern is discussed within the context of other Classical biochemical weaning studies. Overall, this study shows the potential of incorporating evidence from multiple sources to draw a more complete picture of ancient Greek lifestyles and childrearing practices.; Keywords: Apollonia, Greek, stable isotopes, nitrogen, carbon, breastfeeding, weaning, palaeodiet, Classical-Hellenistic.