10.5281/zenodo.3416312
https://zenodo.org/records/3416312
oai:zenodo.org:3416312
Stefanović, Sofija
Sofija
Stefanović
0000-0001-7434-8788
BioSense Institute, Novi Sad; Laboratory for Bioarchaeology, University of Belgrade
Petrović, Bojan
Bojan
Petrović
0000-0002-3575-3921
Medical Faculty, University of Novi Sad; BioSense Institute
Porčić, Marko
Marko
Porčić
0000-0002-6697-8621
Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade; BioSense Institute
Pendić, Jugoslav
Jugoslav
Pendić
BioSense Institute, Novi Sad
Penezić, Kristina
Kristina
Penezić
0000-0001-7640-3269
BioSense Institute, Novi Sad
Bone spoons for prehistoric babies: detection of primary teeth marks on the neolithic artefacts
Zenodo
2019
Neolithic
bone spoons
Starčevo
weaning
2019-09-04
eng
10.5281/zenodo.3416311
https://zenodo.org/communities/birth
https://zenodo.org/communities/biosense_institute
https://zenodo.org/communities/eu
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Around 8000 years ago, throughout the Neolithic world a new type of artefact appeared, small spoons masterly made from cattle bone, usually interpreted as tools, due to their intensive traces of use. Contrary to those interpretations, the small dimensions of spoons and presence of intensive traces of use led us to the assumption that they were used for feeding babies. In order to test this assumption, we compared 2230 marks on spoons from the Neolithic site of Grad-Starčevo in Serbia (5800−5450 cal BC) with 3151 primary teeth marks produced experimentally on fresh cattle bone. This study has shown that marks on spoons were made by primary teeth, which proves their usage in feeding babies. Our interpretation of the bone spoons’ function, jointly with their wide distribution, could suggest that new kinds of gruel were also an important part of the ‘Neolithic package’. The novelties in baby-feeding practices, indicated by spoons, could have had an important effect on the evolution of human fertility through shortening the length of the breastfeeding period.
European Commission
10.13039/501100000780
640557
Births, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 – 5000 BC