We know quite a pile about the ancient Roman Empire . Two thousand years ago , the Romans spread their culture to the edge of the continent and beyond , land with them philosophy , religion , and a rigid political science . romish territories were fertile ground for invention and the arts ; unfortunately , researchers now say , they were also prolific footing for parasites .
The Romans ’ obsession with cleanliness is legendary . They ’ve been credited with the creation of public crapper , heated bathroom , sewerage , plumbing , and even mandatory street cleaning . But in a report published today in the journalParasitology , biological anthropologist Piers Mitchell asserts that some of these inventions may have actually made things less healthful .
Mitchell critique twelve of journal articles on paleoparasitology ( the study of ancient sponge ) so as to wait at the preponderance of parasites before and during the Roman Empire . He compiled data point on the comportment of 17 different species : 12 inner parasites , such as dysentery , and 5 extraneous parasites , such as lice . The source of the article used for the research had collected evidence from ancient latrine , fabrics , and combs . They also sampled coprolite — fossilized ninny — and probe Roman - era skeletal frame for house of parasite infection .
analyse the journal article revealed a surprising trend : People in the Roman Empire were riddled with parasites . Infection with tapeworms , whipworm , nematode worm , fleas , and lice in reality increase during Roman multiplication .
How could this pass off in such a squeaky - clean society ? For starters , says Mitchell , the tub probably were n’t aid . Everybody was sharing the same water , which was not change nearly as often as we ’d like to imagine . A scum of human filth and cosmetic would build up on the quick urine ’s airfoil , creating a perfect breeding ground for footling nasties .
Then there was the mandatory street cleaning . In theory , get sludge off public roadstead sounds great . But like so many authorities projects , it may have had unintended import . " It is possible that sanitization constabulary require the remotion of faeces from the street actually take to reinfection of the universe as the waste was often used to fertilise crops plant in farms surrounding the towns , " Mitchell said in apress release .
A Roman Catholic whipworm bollock come up in Turkey . Image credit : Piers Mitchell
The last potential culprit had nothing to do with misguided sanitation efforts . It was a condiment . The fish sauce calledgarumwas the ketchup of the Roman Empire . alas , with fish comes fish parasites . Mitchell was surprised to encounter a spindle in fish tapeworm infection until he deliberate garum . keep at elbow room temperature , the sauce was a natural vector for tapeworm egg , and there weregarum factories and marketer all over the place . Everyone was eating it ; as a result , everyone had tapeworm . Okay , not everyone . But a lot of people .
“ This is likely a good example of the negative health event of conquering an empire , " Mitchell tell in the press button .
The prevalence of both intestinal parasites and ectozoan such as lice indicate that Roman can , sewer , bathtub , and sanitisation laws had no clear benefit to public health , Mitchell said . However , he mark that it " seems likely that while Roman sanitation may not have made multitude any healthier , they would probably have smelt better . "
