Está atualmente a visualizar o Portugal versão do sítio.
Gostaria de mudar para o seu sítio local?
1 TEMPO DE LEITURA MIN
HISTORY

Bedbugs plagued Britain 1,900 years ago

WORDS LAURA GEGGEL

Bedbugs have been plaguing the British for at least 1,900 years.

Archaeologists discovered the earliest evidence of the bloodsucking parasites in the UK at Vindolanda, a Roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrian’s Wall in northeast England. Katie Wyse Jackson, a graduate student of archaeology at University College Dublin, made the discovery while investigating ancient insect remains at the fort. She found two thoraxes – the insects’ midsections – at the lowest layers of Vindolanda, which was initially built in the late 1st century CE and was remodelled over the years.

The finding supports the idea that the Romans brought bedbugs to Britain after they invaded the isle in 43 CE. Despite the empire’s penchant for frequent bathing, evidence of bedbugs has been found at other sites in England, including a Roman settlement in Warwickshire dating to the middle to late 2nd century, and ancient Roman sites throughout Europe. In fact, a 2016 study found just as many bedbugs at Roman archaeological sites as in Viking and mediaeval ones. Considering the Romans bathed much more frequently, the finding highlights how hard it was to eliminate these pests. “The Romans do have that reputation as being extremely clean, and so it’s interesting to find all of these insects that are contrary to that,” Wyse Jackson said.

Desbloqueie este artigo e muito mais com
Pode desfrutar:
Desfrute desta edição na íntegra
Acesso instantâneo a mais de 600 títulos
Milhares de edições anteriores
Sem contrato ou compromisso
INSCREVA-SE AGORA
30 dias de teste, depois apenas €11,99 / mês. Cancelar em qualquer altura. Apenas para novos subscritores.


Saiba mais
Pocketmags Plus
Pocketmags Plus

Este artigo é de...


View Issues
How It Works
Issue 188
VER NA LOJA

Outros artigos desta edição


WELCOME
WELCOME
Issue 188
REGULARS
Trapped in amber
© Getty Around 99 million years ago, this
Supernova study
© X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; IR: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Milisavljevic et
Hiding in plain sight
© Getty This is the Vietnamese mossy frog,
Carving Jefferson’s face
© Getty In this image from the 1940s,
A trillion cicadas will descend on the US this spring in a rare event
GLOBAL EYE Showcasing the incredible world we live
The brightest black hole ever discovered devours a Sun’s worth of matter every day
An artist’s impression of a bright quasar Scientists
SCIENTISTS ACCIDENTALLY CREATE THE WORLD’S TIGHTEST, SMALLEST KNOT
Scientists recently tied the smallest, tightest knot ever
A JADE MASK DEPICTING A MAYA STORM GOD UNEARTHED IN AROYAL TOMB
A 1,700-year-old royal tomb in Guatemala is overflowing
The universe might be merging with other ‘baby universes’, causing it to expand
A new theoretical study suggests that the universe
Anuclear fusion reactor in the UK has set a new world record for energy output
GLOBAL EYE Inside the JET tokamak, with a
LAVA BLEEDS FROM AN ICELANDIC VOLCANO IN AN INCREDIBLE SATELLITE IMAGE
Did you know? Lava can reach temperatures of
New mRNA ‘cancer vaccine’ trial launches in the UK
An 81-year-old man from Surrey became the first
Genomes of 51 animal species mapped in record time
Researchers just mapped and published the genomes of
Colossal underwater canyon discovered in the Mediterranean Sea
A newly discovered underwater canyon was carved out
ATINY ASTEROID JUST SNUCK BE TWEEN EARTH AND THE MOON
Did you know? Vesta, the largest asteroid, is
WISH LIST
The latest WEARABLEGADGETS
BRAINDUMP
Amazing answers to your curious questions
THE LIBRARY
The latest book releases for curious minds
HOW TO…
Practical projects to try at home
INBOX
Speak your mind
FAST FACTS
Amazing trivia that will blow your mind
SPECIAL
THE SCIENCE OF ECLIPSES
Every now and then, the Earth, Moon and Sun line up to produce an amazing spectacle in the sky
SPACE
DEEP-SPACE COMMUNICATION
How scientists keep tabs on spacecraft as they journey into the vast expanse of the universe
HISTORY
GAS MASK EVOLUTION
What prompted the invention of a mask that could provide clean air in polluted and poisonous environments?
UNLOCKING BRITAIN’S ANCIENT PAST
How a team of archaeologists, palaeontologists and earth scientists created a clear view of who our distant relatives were and how they lived
SCIENCE
WHY VAPING IS BAD FOR YOU
How inhaling this flavoured aerosol affects your lungs and impacts the body
THE POWER OF THERMITE
When iron and aluminium mix, the consequences can be explosive
WHAT IS WIND CHILL?
How windy conditions can make you shiver, even on a warm day
12 BIG SCIENCE DISCOVERIES
These breakthroughs sent shock waves through their scientific fields
BLOCKING OUT NOISE
How your brain tunes out the distracting sights and sounds of the outside world
SILENT BUT SUPERSONIC?
How NASA’s latest experimental jet is designed to soften its sonic boom
FIRST LOOKS
HOW HOT-AIR BALLOONS FLY
Creating changes in air density is key to getting balloons off the ground and into the skies
ENVIRONMENT
HOW ANIMALS HUNT
The strategies and techniques that the world’s predators use to catch their prey
WHAT IS AN OASIS?
These hidden hubs sustain life in the desolate desert
SURPRISING WAYS NATURAL DISASTERS CAN TURN DEADLY
Forget rivers of lava and strong winds… Earth’s most furious moments claim their victims in unexpected ways
TECHNOLOGY
OPTIMUS GEN 2
Automotive company Tesla is reducing the limitations of robotics with its latest humanoid reveal
WORLD’S FIRST WIRELESS TRANSPARENT TV
Inside the next generation of television tech
ADVERTISEMENT
HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE DOES WIND MAKE?
Check this chart to see how the wind alters the temperature your body feels