Continuation of hunter-gatherer weaning practices in middle/late Neolitic Latvia

This paper provides information on early life histories from two Neolithic sites in Latvia, Kreiči and Abora I, reconstructed on the basis of stable nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope values from dentine serial sections of nine individuals. With a single possible exception, most individuals were breastfed from birth, with breastmilk lessening as the main food source after the age of 0.6–0.9 years, although some were older. Complete weaning for all individuals had occurred by approximately age 4. These results seem more consistent with the hunter-gatherer tradition of longer weaning periods and older ages at weaning completion, rather than the ‘Neolithic’ pattern of earlier weaning often thought to have accompanied the spread of early agriculture. This paper also examines differences between child and adult diets within these communities. Higher δ¹⁵N values for post-weaning age children suggest that they consumed more freshwater resources than adults. While there are hints of a slight decline in freshwater resources in the Late Neolithic at Abora I, this is less marked than in previously published Late Neolithic Corded Ware individuals from the site of Zvejnieki. This suggests that the process of Neolithisation was variable even within Latvia, with some communities more committed to farming and others maintaining a predominantly hunting and gathering subsistence economy.