We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 March 2023
In the ancient Near East the most successful intestinal parasites were whipworm, roundworm, Taenia tapeworm, and pinworm. While roundworm and whipworm are commonly found in early agricultural societies, the repeated presence of Taenia tapeworm in Near Eastern populations over time suggests that it was particularly suited to the climate and diet of the region. The presence of schistosomiasis at Tell Zeidan during the Chalcolithic period appears to be the earliest evidence so far identified for the invention of a new technology by humans increasing the risk of spread of an infectious disease. Agricultural irrigation was first developed in the Near East around 7500 BCE, and these irrigation systems allow breeding of the water snails that can spread the schistosomiasis when people wade through areas of standing freshwater. Head lice and body lice were also present in the region, and head lice in particular seem to have been present from the earliest prehistoric populations there. The development of wooden delousing combs, coupled with the arid climate that preserved them, has resulted in a strong body of evidence for head lice and their eggs.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
