Paper short abstract:

The aim of this research is to determine if people during Neolithic time period in Taiwan suffered with infection by parasites. This would help us to better understand the state of health of those people and highlight the potential of ancient parasite study in the region.

Paper long abstract:

The aim of this paper is to investigate which types of intestinal parasitic worms were present in Neolithic Taiwan. Since ancient parasite analysis has never been attempted before for this island, it should provide an important insight into the health and cultural development of the people in the ancient history of the Far East. The study focuses on the Wushantou site in South West Taiwan, excavated in 2014, where analysis was undertaken on 30 soil samples collected from the pelvic region of skeletal remains, along with control samples taken from the remains of the skull and feet. The samples were disaggregated, micro-sieved and viewed with light microscopy. Analysis revealed the presence of roundworm eggs (Ascaris lumbricoides) within the remains of one individual. Adult roundworms are 20-30cm long and feed on partially digested food in our intestines. They are spread by the contamination of food by human faeces. Along with providing evidence of parasitic infection, the skeletal evidence from this study supports the presence of a dense population group in ancient Taiwan. Previous research has shown that such an increase in population density has been associated with the development of an agrarian society, within which nematode intestinal parasites have a greater propensity to spread.