suckling bottle

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• Miriam Era asked

  Good evening, I have a question about this source. Was it used for suckling or is just a modern term? Thank you!

• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

  Hello Miriam! This is a very good question. Actually the University of Bristol published a paper on this topic in 2019, in which they state the following: "The earliest known clay vessels that were possibly used for feeding infants appear in Neolithic Europe, and become more common throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages. However, these vessels—which include a spout through which liquid could be poured—have also been suggested to be feeding vessels for the sick or infirm. (...) The results suggest that the vessels were used to feed infants with milk products derived from ruminants." This is a link to the full research: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1572-x. Now this specific suckling bottle is not from Neolithic Europe nor from the Bronze and Iron Ages, it is much younger but that only proves that it is likely that this too was a real suckling bottle (or of course a bottle to feed the sick). Have a nice day! Greetings, Sarie.