Archaeological digs in Bavaria have unearthed tiny clay pots with teat-like spouts, hinting that prehistoric parents fed their babies animal milk thousands of years ago. Dating back to 1200-450 BC, these vessels—some even shaped like playful animals—suggest that bottle-feeding predates modern times by millennia. These finds, excavated from children’s graves, could explain a Neolithic population surge tied to earlier weaning practices.
The pots, designed for little hands, offer a rare glimpse into ancient caregiving. Chemical traces in three vessels confirm they held milk from cows, goats, or sheep, used for kids aged one to six. Emerging around 5,000 BC, these feeding tools grew common in Europe’s Bronze and Iron Ages, reshaping theories about early human life.
I love these kinds of reminders that ancient people were so similar to us, right down to making goofy playful sippy cups.
I am studying kids toys of the bronze age this WE. This is funny
I bet they weren’t worried about raw milk
Probably not, but only half of the newborns made it to age 15.
So malnutrition would be a factor I guess so why wouldn’t they have done this if they have other sustenance they could feed them
I'm sure that access to additional milk was a great boon to children back then.
Food safety improvements like pasteurization reduce crap like salmonella, tuberculosis, and food poisoning that we can all do without.
Even in 1950 one in four newborns died in childhood.
Lol