Why Was the ‘Dead Infant’ Rate High in Prehistory?

The findings we can reach to understand the family structure, parenting understanding and general human relations in prehistoric times are quite limited. Although the archaeological findings we reach help us to make inferences, they often do not give us the information directly. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before what we know about motherhood, one of the prehistoric wonders, would change.

Findings so far have reinforced the notion that prehistoric human mothers did not care for their children as much as they do now. However, taking today’s data into account to look at the same data from a different angle, the researchers found that human mothers who lived thousands of years ago may have cared more for their children than we think, perhaps even as much today.

There is no difference as mountains with today’s rates

Among the bodies found in archaeological excavations, the abundance of dead infant bodies, who were not even 1 year old, gave scientists the idea that ancient mothers did not take care of their children as they do now. But this time the researchers looked at today’s infant mortality rates and their causes. Researchers who examined infant mortality in many different countries depending on socio-economic factors came to a very different conclusion than before.

Previously, inferences were made based on the number of dead babies, and it was concluded that babies died frequently in prehistoric times, that is, mothers could not take good care of them. This time, we looked at birth and death rates, not numbers. As a result, it turned out that prehistoric birth rates, not infant mortality rates, were high. More births meant more deaths.

In other words, if we compare the number of babies born, there was no difference between yesterday’s and today’s death rates. In addition, considering that the conditions are much different and challenging than today, it would not be wrong to conclude that raising a baby is not easy. As a result, it turns out that prehistoric mothers may have cared more for their babies than we thought.