Paleoparasitological study on the soil sediment samples from archaeological sites of ancient Silla Kingdom in Korean peninsula

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Abstract

Due to paleoparasitology's relatively late beginnings, the fundamental data necessary for any reasonably complete understanding of parasitic infection patterns in Korean history remains insufficient. Especially with respect to ancient samples dating to before the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910 CE), few cases have been analyzed by parasitological techniques. In the present study, we therefore undertook a series of paleoparasitological examinations of archaeological samples from the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 BCE–935 CE). Specifically, in soil samples obtained from shell midden and mountain top fortress sites, we observed Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Dicrocoelid and Taenia sp. eggs. The results of our current investigation of strata and samples from the prosperous first-millennium era of the Silla Kingdom are encouraging for a comprehensive understanding of the parasitic infection patterns in the earlier days of Korean history that could not be obtained by any previous studies.

Introduction

Paleoparasitology is the scientific study of ancient parasite eggs or larvae remnant in archaeological samples, usually after long burial durations. Paleoparasitologists, in examining soil sediments or coprolite samples obtained from archaeological sites worldwide, discover the evidence of ancient parasitic infections by conventional and/or molecular parasitological techniques. They not only confirm the existence of specific parasitic infections in the past, but also trace the histories of host–parasite relationships, thereby broadening our knowledge of the evolution of parasitic infections (Ferreira et al., 2000, Ferreira et al., 2011, Reinhard and Araujo, 2008, Seo et al., 2014a).

Paleoparasitological studies have also been conducted in South Korea. Even before full-fledged studies began, pioneering researchers had made significant contributions to the establishment of the discipline in that country. The earliest paleoparasitological study in South Korea was carried out on samples from Shinchang-Dong, a famous prehistoric wetland site (Kanehara and Kanehara, 1997). In another pioneering Korean study on archaeological soil samples, ancient parasite eggs were also detected, specifically Ascaris, Trichuris and Clonorchis eggs, in pit-soil samples from the Unified Silla period (668–935 CE). In so doing, they demonstrated the potential of archaeological sites as fruitful fields of paleopathological endeavor for later investigations (Han et al., 2003).

From those early years, paleoparasitological study steadily gained momentum in Korea. Thus far, the most remarkable information has been gleaned from archaeological samples (i.e. mummy coprolites or soil sediments) dating to the Joseon period (1392–1910 CE). In a series of such studies, many questions with respect to historically changing patterns of parasitic infection have begun to be answered (Seo et al., 2007, Seo et al., 2008, Seo et al., 2010, Seo et al., 2011, Seo et al., 2014a, Seo et al., 2014b, Lee et al., 2009, Lee et al., 2011, Shin et al., 2009a, Shin et al., 2009b, Shin et al., 2011a, Shin et al., 2011b, Shin et al., 2012a, Shin et al., 2012b, Shin et al., 2013a, Oh et al., 2010a, Oh et al., 2010b).

Despite remarkable contributions such as these, however, overall parasitic infection patterns in Korean history have remained obscure. The previous outcomes were mainly obtained from relatively recent Joseon period (1392–1910 CE) samples. From samples dating to earlier historical eras, only scant information has been forthcoming. In order to fill this research lacuna, archaeologists and parasitologists have closely collaborated over the past several years to acquire information on the parasitic infection patterns prevailing in the distant Korean past.

As an integral part of that effort, the current study investigated excavation sites of the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 BCE – 935 CE). During the first millennium CE, several tribes and kingdoms in the southeastern part of what is now South Korea had vied for hegemony. Silla (57 BCE – 935 CE) emerged as the overall victor, annexing its adversaries throughout the entire Korean peninsula by 676 CE. As is consistent with the fact that the Silla Kingdom prospered for nearly a thousand years in Gyeongsang province, developing from a small city-state into a well-organized kingdom with a vast territory, many cultural remains have been discovered in the present southeastern provinces of the Korean peninsula, the political and cultural heartland of the kingdom.

Paleoparasitological studies on the same provinces will thereby provide us with invaluable chances to study one of the most prosperous areas in the ancient history of Korea. Our series of examinations of samples from archaeological sites dating to the Silla period will afford evidence better enabling us to understand historical Korean parasitic infection patterns more comprehensively.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Our paleoparasitological studies in the heartland of the ancient Silla Kingdom were mainly conducted at archaeological sites in the Gyeongsang provinces, the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula. Archeological excavations at each site were carried out by the Silla Cultural Heritage Research Institute (for GNM_A), the Korea Institute of Heritage (for GNM_B), the Woori Research Institute of Cultural Properties (for Hwawang Sansung), and the Dongyang Research Center of Korean Heritage (for

Results

There were no parasite eggs discovered in the negative-control samples from the surface soils, ruling out any possibility of false positivity caused by accidental introduction of surface soils into the examined geological strata. In the cases of the samples from GNM_A and _B (Gyeongju) representing the Silla period, we could not identify any ancient parasite eggs, even though they had been collected from highly populated areas of the Silla capital.

However, in geological-strata samples from

Discussion

In general, heavy parasite-egg contamination of soil is known to correlate well with higher parasitic infection prevalence among inhabitants of the given area (Schulz and Kroeger, 1992, Uga et al., 1995, Uga et al., 1997, Chongsuvivatwong et al., 1999). This is no less true of ancient samples from hundred-to-thousand year-old archaeological sites. It is highly probable that detection of parasite eggs in soil samples from ancient or medieval towns or cities will correlate very closely with the

Conclusions

Given the late start of paleoparasitological studies in Korea, fundamental data necessary for any reasonably complete understanding of parasitic infection patterns are still insufficient. Our present series of paleoparasitological examinations of ancient Korean archaeological samples hopefully will go some way toward supplementing that data. In our study, we analyzed soil-sediment samples obtained from sites dating to the Silla Kingdom (57 BCE–935 CE). Specifically, Ascaris lumbricoides,

Acknowledgements

The first two authors contributed equally to this study. This study was supported by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Korea (NRICH-1207-B04F-1).

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