Abstract
Simple SummaryThere is a wide range of historical, archaeological and biological sources to help understand the nature of health and disease in the ancient Roman world. In this study, we examine various predisposing elements typical of the urban environment in relation to zoonotic diseases in the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, both devastated by pyroclastic surges as a consequence of the eruption of Mount Somma–Vesuvius in 79 CE. We analyse the meaning and value of the sources to develop an understanding of the many features of everyday life in these cities. We make judgements about issues relevant to the reconstruction of the past, and finally, we synthesize evidence from different sources to construct historical explanations and arguments in relation to the transmission of zoonotic diseases in these ancient Roman populations.There is no doubt that the cultural and urban environments contributed to the animal–human interaction in the daily life of the ancient Roman world. The singularity of the circumstances of the burial of Pompeii and Herculaneum, together with literary sources and the extraordinary state of preservation of the archaeological and biological material found, has provided researchers with an opportunity, unique in its kind, to reconstruct the life and ways of living of its inhabitants. This study illustrates the main drivers and mechanisms for the distribution and transmission of zoonotic diseases in these ancient Roman populations, such as (i) the large number and role that different animal species played in the ancient Roman world; (ii) the environmental conditions for the survival of parasites, pathogens and vectors; (iii) the great variety and intensity of commercial activities and occupations that presented certain risks of infections; (iv) the absence of adequate safety controls during processing, distribution and preservation of foodstuffs in unsuitable environments and some culinary habits; (v) the inadequate mechanisms of the disposal of human waste and the biotic contamination of watercourses and reservoirs; and finally (vi) the use of animals related to religious and cultural practices.
Highlights
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Summary
Zoonotic diseases have been in existence for thousands of years and have been hypothesized to have afflicted ancestors of humans from the beginning of the hominin evolution. 2230–1800 BCE), kept in the University College Museum of London It deals with the diseases of livestock and fish, without reference to human diseases [33,34]. 1500 BCE) mentions human diseases [35] Both documents, corresponding to the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, show that it is one thing to know diseases and another, very different thing, to be aware of the reciprocal animal–human or human–animal contagion. The ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were in the Gulf of Naples (region of Campania, southern Italy) (Figure 1) This region was a long volcanic plateau that spread from the Volturno river in the north to the Sarno river in the south, and it was divided into two areas by Mount Somma–Vesuvius. Due to its views and moderating maritime influence, Herculaneum was considered an ideal resort and residential town, with fewer public and commercial buildings than Pompeii [43,44,45]
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