Abstract
A paleo-parasitological study was performed on soil samples from archaeological sites in the old district of Seoul Metropolitan City (Old Seoul City) where the capital of the Joseon Kingdom was constructed about 600 years ago. The sampling sites were the original locations of the Royal Palace Wall, Yukjo Street and the Royal Arsenal. Microscopic examinations showed that parasite eggs of Clonorchis sinensis, Diphyllobothrium latum, Ascaris sp. and Trichuris sp. remained in the soil strata, which were estimated to represent the 14th-19th centuries. We suspect that the medieval citizens of Old Seoul City, numbering around 200,000, might have been made vulnerable to parasite infection by a combination of bad hygiene, inadequate sewer system and seasonal flooding.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3555-3559 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Archaeological Science |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Ascaris sp.
- Korea
- Medieval
- Old Seoul City
- Parasite egg
- Trichuris sp.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Archaeology
- Archaeology