Led by the University of Bristol, a team of scientists have found infant feeding vessels, which suggest that prehistoric babies were fed animal milk through the use of these, which are the equivalent of modern-day baby bottles.
Possible infant feeding vessels, made from clay, first appear in Europe in the Neolithic (at around 5,000 BC), becoming more commonplace throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages.
The vessels are usually small enough to fit within a baby's hands and have a spout through which liquid could be suckled. Sometimes they have feet and are shaped like imaginary animals. Despite this, in the lack of any direct evidence for their function, it has been suggested they may also be feeding vessels for the sick or infirm.
So how did the researchers conclude that these vessels were, in fact, used to feed babies? Find out on EurekAlert.
(Image Credit: Helena Seidl da Fonseca)