A Child-Centred Approach to Cultural Hybridity: Weaning and Childhood Diets in the Greek Colony of Himera

During the Archaic and Classical periods, the establishment of Greek colonies in the Mediterranean region resulted in new, hybrid cultures. Weaning and early life diets reflect childhood experiences and cultural transmission. Here, the stable nitrogen and carbon isotopic ratios (δ 15 N, δ 13 C) from bone collagen of fifty-eight subadults and twenty-seven adult females from the Greek colony of Himera in Sicily are used to estimate the age of weaning and the nature of complementary foods. Bayesian analysis shows that weaning typically began at 3–4 months and was completed by 3.5–4 years. While a weaning ‘curve’ is detected at Himera, there is much variation, suggesting adherence to some shared norms but also individualized decisions about the diets of infants and children. This study expands our knowledge of Greek childhood and sheds light on the treatment of children within a culturally complex colonial setting.