Early Toilets Reveal Dysentery In Old Testament Jerusalem

The toilet seat taken from the House of Ahiel, excavated in the Old City of Jerusalem. A domestic building made up of seven rooms, it would have housed an upper-class family at the time. Date of construction is hard to pin down, with some placing it around the 8th century BCE. Credit: F. Vukasavovic

 A research team led by the University of Cambridge say it is the oldest example we have of this diarrhea-causing parasite infecting humans anywhere on the planet.

“The fact that these parasites were present in sediment from two Iron Age Jerusalem cesspits suggests that dysentery was endemic in the Kingdom of Judah,” said study lead author Dr. Piers Mitchell from Cambridge’s Department of Archaeology.

“Dysentery is a term that describes intestinal infectious diseases caused by parasites and bacteria that trigger diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever and dehydration. It can be fatal, particularly for young children.”

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Source: https://www.ancientpages.com/2023/05/26/early-toilets-reveal-dysentery-in-old-testament-jerusalem/