Births, mothers and babies: a bioarchaeological perspective" Session organized at the 8th World Archaeological Congress, August 26t- September 2nd 2016. Kyoto, Japan

Births, mothers and babies: a bioarchaeological perspective

Organiser(s): Sofija Stefanovic (Laboratory for Bioarchaeology, University of Belgrade, Serbia) and Gwenaëlle Goude (Aix-Marseille University, France)Contact: smstefan@f.bg.ac.rsType: SymposiumAbstract: Although births, mothers and babies present key pillars for human survival, their role has not been adequately studied, either by physical anthropology or archaeology. The attitudes of past communities towards pregnancy, birth and neonatal care must have played a key role in the success of the birthing process, but these have also not been satisfactorily addressed in archaeological writing. The aim of this session is to provide an overview of bioarchaeological research into the place of births, mothers and babies in ancient populations across time and space. Contributions will use multidisciplinary approaches and improved methodologies to address the roles and circumstances of birthing in human evolution. New methods for studying pregnancy, breastfeeding-weaning and social status of women and children, eg., through studies of nutrition, health, and growth, will be showcased.