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Prehistoric Diet and Parasitic Infection in Tennessee: Evidence from the Analysis of Desiccated Human Paleofeces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Charles T. Faulkner
Charles T. Faulkner*
Affiliation:
Graduate Program in Anthropology and Department of Environmental Practice, University of Tennessee, P.O. Box 1071, Knoxville, TN 37901-1071
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Abstract

Eight desiccated human feces recovered from Big Bone Cave (40VB103) were analyzed for dietary contents and evidence of endoparasitic infection. Radiocarbon-dated materials from the cave indicated that it was a locus of human activity 2220 ± 135 years ago. The dietary contents were primarily composed of three domesticated plant species: Iva annua, Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. jonesianum, and Helianthus annuus. Endoparasitic species infecting the population using the cave were: Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides, Giardia intestinalis, and a species tentatively identified to the superfamily Ancylostomoidea. The evidence of endoparasitic infection preserved in the Big Bone Cave paleofecal sample is the most complete record available for Eastern North America. This information is a new contribution to understanding the relative health status and living conditions of the emergent horticultural societies of prehistoric Eastern North America.

Résumé

Résumé

Ocho restos de heces humanas desecadas encontrados en Big Bone Cave (40VB103) fueron analizados con el objeto de determinar el contenido de substancias alimenticias y la presencia de infecciones endoparasíticas. Materials de la cueva fechados mediante radiocarbono indican que actividades humanas tuvieron lugar en el sitio hace 2220 ± 135 años. Tres especies de plantas domésticas constituyeron las principales substancias alimenticias: Iva annua, Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. jonesianum, y Helianthus annuus. Especies endoparasíticas que infectaron a la población que ocupaba la cueva fueron Enterobius vermicularis, Ascarius lumbricoides, Giardia intestinalis, y una especie tentativamente identificada con la superfamilia Ancylostomoidea. Las evidencias de infecciones endoparasíticas preservadas en la muestra paleofecal de Big Bone Cave constituyen el registro más completo que existe para el este de Norteamérica. Esta información es una nueva contribución al conocimiento del nivel de salud relativa y de las condiciones de vida de las sociedades horticultoras incipientes de la prehistoria del este de Norteamérica.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 56 , Issue 4 , October 1991 , pp. 687 - 700
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1991

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