Learning from Roman Sewers

There are many ways for us to learn about history -- poring through old books, excavating archeological sites, or for some scientists, by studying old sewers. We can learn how people disposed of their waste, what they ate, and which diseases plagued them.

For years, scientists have been digging around Vindolanda, a 2,000-year-old Roman fort in Northern England. Recently, they analyzed sediment from a sewer drain that was part of the third century bath complex. Their goal was to understand life in Roman England, what diseases plagued the soldiers there, and whether the sewer system was capable of not contaminating the drinking water.

The soldiers were guarding the land against stubborn northern guerrilla armies, which wasn't easy since the soldiers were often very sick. The sewer sediment carried evidence of roundworm and whipworm, along with Giardia duodenalis, which had never been found among Roman Britannic sites before. The parasites were also found in a latrine ditch in an older part of the fort which suggests they were circulating among the troops decades earlier.

Roman physicians did not have good treatments for worms, so the infections only got worse. The worms can cause nausea, cramping and diarrhea. G. duodenalis, a microscopic parasite, causes prolonged diarrhea. In the warmer months, fecal contaminated water caused giardia outbreaks that dehydrated soldiers, severely weakening them. From this, we know that up to that point, the sewer systems just weren't that good.