Titre : Paleoparasitology and animal housing: using intestinal parasites to inform about animal presence and site organisation 

Auteurs : Benjamin Dufour
, Matthieu Le Bailly,  

Revue : Archaeology, Society and Environment 

Numéro : Issue 1 

Volume : 6 

Date : 2025/11/7 

DOI : 10.21494/ISTE.OP.2025.1385 

ISSN : 2752-4507 

Résumé : Parasitic markers are among the direct clues used in archaeology to highlight the presence of animals. As such, they contribute to characterizing the animals present on the sites, as well as their state of health. Some parasites, associated with specific hosts, can lead to precise identification of the animal presence (pig, horse, poultry, etc.). Other, more general parasites only identify the category to which they belong, essentially carnivores and herbivores. The study of ancient parasites also helps to characterize the function of remains associated with animal housing (stabling area, drinking trough, etc.). A number of examples from paleoparasitology analyses will illustrate the contributions of this discipline to the study of animals present on sites and their living environment. 

Éditeur : ISTE OpenScience