10,000-year-old Child Burial Shows Use of Baby Carrier and Heirlooms

Definition

Arma Veirana Cave

Arma Veirana cave is located at an elevation of 451 Meters above sea level within the Ligurian pre-Alps region of Italy, approximately 15 km northwest of the town of Albenga. Arma Veirana preserves deposits of the late Pleistocene (with Mousterian and late Epigravettian cultural horizons) and the early Holocene age. Excavation of the cave began in 2015 and has unearthed Neanderthal to Early Mesolithic material.

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The Ornaments of the Arma Veirana Early Mesolithic Infant Burial

If you've taken care of an infant, you know how important it is to find ways to multitask. And, when time is short, and your to-do list is long, humans find ways to be resourceful-something caregivers have been doing for a very, very long time.

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Evidence of Use of Baby Carriers 10,000 years Ago

The authors of a new article published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory argue that they have found evidence of the use of baby carriers 10,000 years ago at the Arma Veirana site in Liguria, Italy. The research, led by Arizona State University's Claudine Gravel-Miguel, Ph.D., also includes the University of Colorado Denver's Jamie Hodgkins, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Anthropology, and a co-principal investigator on the excavation of Arma Veirana.

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Because the material used to make the first baby carriers does not preserve well in the archaeological record and because prehistoric baby burials are very uncommon, evidence for prehistoric baby carriers is extremely rare. The site-which includes the oldest documented burial of a female infant in Europe, a 40- to 50-days-old baby, nicknamed Neve-has both. Researchers used innovative analytical methods to extract hard-to-obtain information about perforated shell beads found at the site.

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The study used a high-definition 3D photogrammetry model of the burial combined with microscopic observations and microCT scan analyses of the beads to document in detail how the burial took place and how the beads were likely used by Neve and her community in life and death.

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The results of this research show that the beads were likely sewn onto a piece of leather or cloth that was used to wrap Neve for her burial. This decoration contained more than 70 small, pierced shell beads and four big, pierced shell pendants, the likes of which have yet to be found elsewhere. Most of the beads bear heavy signs of use that could not have been produced during Neve's short life, demonstrating they were handed down to her as heirlooms.

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"Given the effort that had been put into creating and reusing these ornaments over time, it is interesting that the community decided to part with these beads in the burial of such a young individual, said Gravel-Miguel. "Our research suggests that those beads and pendants likely adorned Neve's carrier, which was buried with her."

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Relying on ethnographic observations of how baby carriers are adorned and used in some modern hunter-gatherer societies, this research suggests that Neve's community may have decorated her carrier with beads to protect her against evil. However, it is possible that her death signaled that those beads had failed, and it would have been better to bury the carrier rather than reuse it.

"Infant burials are so rare, and this one had so many beads," said Hodgkins. "Being able to look at the use, wear, and positioning of the ornaments around the infant to determine that these beads were handed down and the infant was wrapped in a way that matches the form of a baby carrier is truly a unique glimpse into the past, giving us a connection to this tragic event that happened so long ago."

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This new research about Neve contributes to the growing literature on prehistoric childcare and the possible use and reuse of beads to protect individuals and maintain the social links within a community. Neve's remains were found in 2017 in a cave in Liguria, Italy. The ongoing study of this rare infant burial provides insight into customs and daily life of the early Mesolithic period.

Attribution/Source(s):

This peer reviewed article relating to our Anthropology and Disability section was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its likely interest to our disability community readers. Though the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or length, the article "10,000-year-old Child Burial Shows Use of Baby Carrier and Heirlooms" was originally written by University of Colorado Denver, and published by Disabled-World.com on 2022-10-21 (Updated: 2023-01-04). Should you require further information or clarification, University of Colorado Denver can be contacted at ucdenver.edu. Disabled World makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

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