THE CHILDREN ARE MISSING! SOME THOUGHTS ON THE UNDERREPRESENTATION OF NONADULT BURIALS IN LATVIAN IRON AGE CEMETERIES

The purpose of this study is to analyse subadult representation in Latvian Iron Age cemeteries (5th-13th c. AD) by critically approaching and discussing various taphonomic and cultural aspects that could affect the preservation of burials. Demographic data from the end of the 20th century shows that life expectancy was low for children in developing countries: deaths of infants and children under five years of age accounted for approximately 40% of the total burden of mortality (Dyson 1984). Immunity is also impaired by the environment: if the weaning period falls during the summer, bacteria and other microorganisms reproduce faster and can negatively affect sanitary conditions (Allmäe 2006, 10). Problems with weaning and dependence on a single food source are probably among the reasons why the highest child mortality in the Bronze Age cemetery of Ķivutkalns in Latvia is between the ages of one and four years (26.6%), while only 8.5% are infants younger than one year of age (Zariņa, G. 2009, 45).