• Title/Summary/Keyword: Archaeology

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Ancient Human Parasites in Ethnic Chinese Populations

  • Yeh, Hui-Yuan;Mitchell, Piers D.
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.54 no.5
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    • pp.565-572
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    • 2016
  • Whilst archaeological evidence for many aspects of life in ancient China is well studied, there has been much less interest in ancient infectious diseases, such as intestinal parasites in past Chinese populations. Here, we bring together evidence from mummies, ancient latrines, and pelvic soil from burials, dating from the Neolithic Period to the Qing Dynasty, in order to better understand the health of the past inhabitants of China and the diseases endemic in the region. Seven species of intestinal parasite have been identified, namely roundworm, whipworm, Chinese liver fluke, oriental schistosome, pinworm, Taenia sp. tapeworm, and the intestinal fluke Fasciolopsis buski. It was found that in the past, roundworm, whipworm, and Chinese liver fluke appear to have been much more common than the other species. While roundworm and whipworm remained common into the late 20th century, Chinese liver fluke seems to have undergone a marked decline in its prevalence over time. The iconic transport route known as the Silk Road has been shown to have acted as a vector for the transmission of ancient diseases, highlighted by the discovery of Chinese liver fluke in a 2,000 year-old relay station in northwest China, 1,500 km outside its endemic range.

Discovery of Eurytrema Eggs in Sediment from a Colonial Period Latrine in Taiwan

  • Yeh, Hui-Yuan;Cheng, Chieh-fu Jeff;Huang, ChingJung;Zhan, Xiaoya;Wong, Weng Kin;Mitchell, Piers D.
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.57 no.6
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    • pp.595-599
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    • 2019
  • In this study we take a closer look at the diseases that afflicted Japanese police officers who were stationed in a remote mountainous region of Taiwan from 1921 to 1944. Samples were taken from the latrine at the Huabanuo police outpost, and analyzed for the eggs of intestinal parasites, using microscopy and ELISA. The eggs of Eurytrema sp., (possibly E. pancreaticum), whipworm and roundworm were shown to be present. True infection with Eurytrema would indicate that the policemen ate uncooked grasshoppers and crickets infected with the parasite. However, false parasitism might also occur if the policemen ate the uncooked intestines of infected cattle, and the Eurytrema eggs passed through the human intestines. These findings provide an insight into the diet and health of the Japanese colonists in Taiwan nearly a century ago.

The Necessity of Introducing Development Fee for Archaeology and Suggestions (매장문화재부담금제도의 도입 필요성과 방안)

  • Kim, Gwon Gu
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.49 no.3
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    • pp.224-239
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    • 2016
  • This article aims to review the major problems of the present Korean management system of archaeology and to seek desirable suggestions in order to pursue the sustainable harmony between the recovery of academic excavations and economic development. In order to continue the sustainable harmony between preserving the values of archaeological resources as limited pure public goods and economic development, the present system of developer's payment for archaeology must be replaced by the introduction of the development fee for archaeology. The excavation of archaeological resources have been done according to the market principle, that is, the lower price principle. But the principle has produced a lot of serious problems in the Korean management system of archaeology, which must result in the market failure. So the governmental intervention is urgently required. By introducing the development fee, the archaeological field units and the developers can avoid direct contact. Instead, the Heritage Management Office will operate the excavation fund raised by the development fee for archaeology in order to avoid low-price contracts, degrading excavation quality, and other related residents' complaints and social conflicts in advance. In addition, the budget for purchasing the preserved excavation sites, which are the source of the landowners' enormous complaints, must be allocated to the Heritage Management Office by the Ministry of Planning and Finance. More budget for small-sized excavations must be allocated as well in order to solve many residents' complaints. These budget increase will be the fundamentals to decrease the residents' big complaints and social conflicts in relation with the archaeological management, which will be a challenge of the Korean government. Along with the governmental efforts, the archaeological field units must do their all-out efforts to overcome many problems in excavation including low-price contracts. Finally, the wage system and working status system must be revised. Excellent young excavators must be recruited appropriately and continue to work in a safe psychological condition, which are the basis to guarantee high-quality excavation.

A Review of Salvage Archaeology in Korea and a Joint Research and Excavation Plan for North Korean Cultural Heritage (남북 문화유산 조사 현황과 공동조사를 위한 제언)

  • Choi, Jongtaik;Seong, Chuntaek
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.52 no.2
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    • pp.20-37
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    • 2019
  • Three Inter-Korea summits and a North Korea-USA summit that were previously unexpected provide a basis for an optimistic outlook for the future development of Korean archaeology. While Korean archaeology has witnessed a great advance since the mid-20th century, it also exhibits significant weaknesses in explaining cultural changes in prehistory and the early historical period in the Korean Peninsula due to the paucity of information on archaeological evidence of North Korea. Recent development of favorable conditions for research and excavations of North Korean cultural heritage could be a valuable opportunity for Korean archaeology to overcome the current adversity. Especially, given the expected large-scale SOC industrial project in North Korea, we need to prepare for the systematic research and excavation of archaeological materials. The present essay attempts to provide a suggestion for the joint archaeological expeditions to excavate and manage cultural resources in North Korea based on a critical review of previous salvage excavations in South Korea, such as those conducted before the construction of the Korean rapid transit railway system (KTX). We suggest that professional archaeologists should be included in the project and oversee the planning and design of road and railway constructions and other SOC projects in order to minimize the cost of trial and error processes that were well exemplified by the KTX salvage excavations. The Korean Archaeological Society and North Korean Archaeological Society may organize a common association that will supervise joint archaeological expeditions. Importantly, The Korean Archaeological Society and other related institutions should prepare to build an organization that conducts impending archaeological excavation in North Korea. While we likely face challenges and difficulties during the various stages of archaeological research and excavations in North Korea, only through thorough and systematic preparation can we avoid the destruction of valuable cultural heritage and find an opportunity for the further development of Korean archaeology.

A Mobile Phone? Yes, I Want One! A Royal City? Yes, I Want One! How International Technology Met Local Demand in the Construction of Myanmar's First Cities, 1800 Years Ago.

  • Bob, Hudson
    • SUVANNABHUMI
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    • v.6 no.1
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    • pp.3-26
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    • 2014
  • In the modern world, we can share information and new products as quickly as an email can be sent, or a parcel can be loaded onto an aircraft. But the brick-walled urban centres that sprung up in Myanmar around 150 CE suggest that ancient people could be just as excited about new information and products, even though the transmission of data and cultural objects followed a different path. These huge resource-intensive cities, inspired by the walled cities of India, were not built in sequence, as has been generally assumed, but in the same period. Once the Royal City arrived, the chiefly families of early First Millennium Upper Myanmar just had to have one.

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Behind and Beyond the Archaeology of the Silk Road: Laboratory Analyses in Eurasia, Some Results, Discussions, and Interpretations for Protohistory and Antiquity

  • Henri-Paul FRANCFORT
    • Acta Via Serica
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.53-78
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    • 2023
  • The paper presents some new results illustrating some developments related to the concept of the Silk Road and subsequent methodological reflections. New laboratory results of scientific analyses of plants, minerals, and human remains in combination with more conventional methods of research contribute to a better understanding of the multidirectionality of exchanges in Pre- and Protohistory. Unsuspected long-distance transfers of items, especially of metals (tin) and biological materials (plants, pathogens, etc.) are discovered. Adding ancient DNA and petroglyphs to the vexed question of the Indo-European migrations across Eurasia complexifies the familiar linguistic, historical, and archaeological research landscape. Recent excavations show the impact of the adoption of artistic elements adapted from the Achaemenid arts, far in the steppe world, and up to China. Multidirectional (including North-South lanes) and multidisciplinary approaches leave space and hope for more rigorous scientific modelizations for the archaeology of Eurasia and the Silk Road.