New details have emerged about the struggles of Roman soldiers serving in frontier forts.
A study of the sewers at Vindolanda, one of Rome's frontier forts near Hadrian’s Wall, showed that the stationed soldiers suffered terribly from parasitic infections.
- Aerial photo of the public bath and toilet block at Vindolanda Fort -
- Whipworm eggs found in Vindolanda sewer sediment -
The research team investigated sediment in the sewers connected to the public baths and toilets, taking and examining 58 samples.
They confirmed infections of three types of parasites: whipworm, roundworm, and *Giardia duodenalis* (Lamblia).
- *Giardia duodenalis* -
Notably, the detection of *Giardia duodenalis* is the first confirmed case found in Roman Britain.
The parasites found are transmitted orally and through feces via food, contaminated water, and poor sanitation.
Even with Rome’s state-of-the-art water infrastructure and hygiene tools like the *tersorium*, it’s believed there were limits to preventing parasites given the technology and sanitation knowledge of the time.
The shared *tersorium* was cleaned using running water, saltwater, or vinegar, but the short soaking time and weak concentration likely made removing parasite eggs difficult.
Roman soldiers infected with these parasites would have suffered from diarrhea, stomach aches, fever, extreme fatigue, weight loss, and dehydration. If prolonged, it could lead to malnutrition, arthritis, muscle pain, and in severe cases, even vision problems.
Roman doctors and scholars at the time knew parasites existed, but limits in medical technology meant they couldn't find a cure.
Furthermore, many artifacts belonging to children were found at Vindolanda, suggesting that children living there were likely exposed to risks such as stunted growth, cognitive developmental delays, dehydration, and in severe cases, death.
Piers Mitchell of Cambridge University, one of the co-authors and participants in this study,
- Roman-era sewer drain -
stated that while the sewer sediment mixes the feces of everyone, making it impossible to know exactly who was infected with parasite eggs, about 28% of samples contained parasite eggs, which is considered a fairly widespread infection rate. He estimated that, combining this with other historical data, 10% to 40% of the population throughout the Roman Empire suffered from intestinal parasites.
Source - https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/diarrhea-and-stomachaches-plagued-roman-soldiers-stationed-at-hadrians-wall-discovery-of-microscopic-parasites-finds
"Everyone is horrified by the shared butt-wiping 'Spongebob' (the tersorium sponge) and agrees that while Roman infrastructure was top tier, their hygiene practices were utterly foul. This led to a discussion about how future generations will judge our current hygiene (like air pollution and public sneezing)."
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