Abstract
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.
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Acknowledgements
Alastair Millar helped to revise the English language.
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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).
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All authors contributed to the study concept and design. Archaeological background information was provided by LPo. JB was responsible for osteological analyses including age at death and sex estimations of the sampled skeletons. IM and MM performed the proteomic sex estimations in subadults. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by SDK, LPů, and PV. Statistical analysis was performed by JH and SDK. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SDK and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Not applicable. Neither Czech legislation nor the internal rules of the National Museum in Prague, where the skeletal material is housed, require ethical approval to be obtained for the destructive analysis of human remains.
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Online Resource 1
Description of proteomic determination of sex (PDF 497 KB)
Online Resource 2
Complete isotopic data and their graphical presentation for all individuals (XLSX 569 KB)
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Drtikolová Kaupová, S., Brůžek, J., Hadrava, J. et al. Early life histories at medieval Mikulčice (ninth–tenth centuries AD, Czechia) based on carbon and nitrogen profiles of tooth dentine. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 16, 16 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01923-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01923-0