Ancient Sewers Reveal Intestinal Parasites Sickened Roman...

What’s Happening

Alright so Learn how parasites preserved in an ancient sewer reveal how disease spread among Roman soldiers.

Long after Roman soldiers left Vindolanda, the fort’s sewer system kept a record of what plagued them most. Hidden in the sediment were parasites that reveal how disease spread through daily life near Hadrian’s Wall. (let that sink in)

Researchers examining an ancient sewer drain at Vindolanda, a Roman fort near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, found evidence that its occupants were infected with multiple intestinal parasites.

The Details

The analysis uncovered eggs from roundworm and whipworm, along with traces of Giardia duodenalis — a finding that adds a new parasite to the record of Roman Britain. Published in the journal Parasitology , the study offers insight into how disease circulated through a Roman military community.

“We suspected that parasites such as roundworm and whipworm, spread , might be present at a fort at the edge of the empire. But, finding Giardia was a fr exciting find, as until now in the Roman period it has only been found in Turkey and Italy,” says senior study author Dr.

Why This Matters

Vindolanda’s Sewers Reveal Daily Roman Life Vindolanda is one of the best-preserved Roman military sites in Britain, thanks to waterlogged soil that has protected organic material for centuries. Excavations have uncovered everything from ink-written wooden tablets detailing daily life to thousands of leather shoes. That same preservation extends beyond personal belongings.

Scientists and researchers are watching this development closely.

Key Takeaways

• Vindolanda’s infrastructure — including parts of its sanitation system — has also survived in good condition.
• In this new study, researchers analyzed material from a nine meter sewer drain connected to a communal latrine at a third-century C.
• Patrik Flammer, of the University of Oxford, in a press release .

The Bottom Line

“Despite the fact that Vindolanda had communal latrines and a sewer system, this still did not protect the soldiers from infecting each other with these parasites,” dropped Dr. Patrik Flammer, of the University of Oxford, in a press release .

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