Prehistoric baby bottles used to feed infants, evidence finds
Baby bottle designers of the time took a more creative approach to their aesthetic, with some shaped like imaginary animals.
Wednesday 25 September 2019 18:08, UK
The world has transformed beyond recognition since prehistoric times, but not everything has changed - babies still drink milk from bottles.
Scientists at the University of Bristol have found evidence dating back as far as 5,000 BC that parents fed their children animal milk with the equivalent of modern day baby bottles, only made from clay.
They first appeared in Europe and became more commonplace during the Bronze and Iron Ages, from where examples have been recovered in the Austrian town of Vosendorf.
Baby bottle designers of the time took a far more creative approach to their aesthetic than we are used to, with some sporting feet and shaped like imaginary animals.
Most of them were small enough to be held by a baby and had a spout through which milk could be suckled.
Three examples chosen for closer analysis were found in very rare child graves in Bavaria in Germany, and they all measured between five and 10 centimetres across - with an extremely narrow spout.
The analysis showed that they once contained milk from domesticated cattle like sheep or goats.
Lead study author Dr Julie Dunne, from the school of chemistry at Bristol, said the findings were proof that bottle-like vessels were indeed used to feed animal milk to babies.
This could have been in place of breast milk, or during weaning on to supplementary foods.
Dr Dunne said: "These very small, evocative, vessels give us valuable information on how and what babies were fed thousands of years ago, providing a real connection to mothers and infants in the past.
"Similar vessels, although rare, do appear in other prehistoric cultures across the world. Ideally, we'd like to carry out a larger geographic study and investigate whether they served the same purpose."
Before the study at Bristol, which has been detailed in the journal Nature, the only evidence for weaning came from the analysis of infant skeletons.
It was also suggested the ancient vessels may have been used to feed the sick or infirm, rather than babies.
Dr Dunne and her team hope that their findings can pave the way for further investigations into methods of feeding from other ancient cultures around the world.
Dr Katharina Rebay-Salisbury, a project partner from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, said: "Bringing up babies in prehistory was not an easy task.
"We are interested in researching cultural practices of mothering, which had profound implications for the survival of babies. It is fascinating to be able to see, for the first time, which foods these vessels contained."