Ancient babies used ‘sippy cups’
JUST THE KIND OF ADVICE WE AUSSIES NEED.
BABIES AND YOUNG children drank from clay ‘sippy cups’ during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, and the practice may have existed as early as 7,000 years ago, a recent study reveals. These spouted artefacts have been found at archaeological sites across Europe, first appearing in the Neolithic period and becoming more common, according to the study.
Scientists suspected that the vessels were meant for feeding babies and toddlers, but some researchers argued that the pottery may have been meant for adults who were sick, injured or elderly. However, researchers have found the residue of animal milk fats, suggesting that the vessels held milk that was likely fed to young children to supplement breastfeeding or to help with weaning.
The researchers examined three vessels from the graves of very young children; the eldest was no more than six years old, according to the study. Two of the graves were in a cemetery dating from 800 BCE to 450 BCE, and one grave – a cremation burial – was found in a necropolis dating from 1200 BCE to 800 BCE.
Archaeologists typically look for ancient organic residues by grinding up small pieces of broken pottery – there are often thousands at any given site – and then chemically analysing the powder. However, to keep these vessels intact, scientists carefully swabbed the inside, collecting grains of loose powder. Fatty acids in the residue from the younger vessels hinted that their milk came from ruminants – animals that chew their cud, such as cows, sheep or goats. The older cup held milk that came from nonruminants, perhaps human or pig milk, the study authors reported.
But could a child have comfortably used one of those cups? To find out, the researchers reconstructed one of the vessels, filled it with diluted apple sauce and handed it to an eager one-year-old. “He cupped it in his hands and started suckling from it – and he loved it,” Julie Dunne, a senior research associate with the University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry, told Live Science. “There’s something intuitive for a baby about the shape; they all have the same basic shape that you’d hold in between your hands.”
If these cups from the Bronze and Iron Ages were used to feed babies, it’s likely that the same is true for similar cups found at other sites that date to the Neolithic, according to the study. These cups offer an intriguing glimpse of an important shift in human history. As people transitioned from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to more agrarian habits, they gained reliable access to milk and cereals to feed their babies, which meant families could grow more quickly, Dunne said.
IF THESE CUPS FROM THE BRONZE AGE AND IRON AGE WERE USED TO FEED BABIES IT’S LIKELY THAT THE SAME IS TRUE FOR SIMILAR CUPS FOUND AT OTHER SITES THAT DATE TO THE NEOLITHIC, ACCORDING TO THE STUDY.