In the paper, the results of an archaeoparasitological analysis of a population group from the ancient Greek city of Pantikapaion, located in the historical centre of the modern city of Kerch (Republic of Crimea), are presented. The aim of the study is to obtain information about the parasitic diseases, state of health, nutrition, and hygiene in a part of the population of the city. The materials for the study were soil samples obtained during the treatment of the human sacra from 31 burials of the necropolis, dated to the 2nd century AD. In the result of the conducted investigation, the parasitic spectrum of the studied population group was determined. Eggs of three species of helminths were found. The discovery of eggs of broad tapeworm (Dibothriocephalus latum) in the soil samples indicates the presence in the diet of the studied population group freshwater fish that were not sufficiently thermally treated. The archaeoparasitological data from archaeological sites of a chronologically close period in the territory of the Northern Black Sea region suggests that diphyllobothriasis was a decease far from being rare in this area. The presence of eggs of human roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) and whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) in the samples likely indicates the challenging sanitary-hygienic environment in the city and insufficient hygienic skills in the studied group. The analysis of the archaeoparasitological data within the historical context and utilisation of the archaeopathological material from the archaeological sites in the Northern Black Sea region permitted to identify the factors that had an influence on the wide spread of geohelminths. The humid and warm climate facilitated maturation of geohelminth eggs in the soil, while the human activities concerned with the irrigation of the territory, building public water collection points, and waste buildup in the streets, in combination with the high population density, were causing the rise of the infectious hazard. The relatively high incidence rates of Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides may indicate a high prevalence of certain bacterial intestinal infections transmitted by the identical route. The occurrence of geohelminths, alongside the archaeological data, can indicate a low social status of the studied population group.

Keywords: аrchaeoparasitology, intestinal parasites, Northern Black Sea Region, Panticapaeum, bioarchaeological reconstruction, Dibothriocephalus latum, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura.

 

Funding. Research supported by the Russian Science Fundation, project no. 21-18-00263 “Archaeoparasitological spectra of the ancient and medieval population of the Northern Black Sea region and the south of the Russian Plain: a new approach in bioarchaeological reconstructions”.

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Accepted: 28.09.2023

Article is published: 15.12.2023