A joint study by Cambridge and Oxford researchers has uncovered that Roman soldiers garrisoned at Vindolanda fort along Hadrian’s Wall suffered from intestinal worms and severe diarrhoea, despite having advanced sanitation like latrines and sewers—proving their high-tech facilities couldn’t stop ancient germs.
The research, published in the journal Parasitology, analysed 50 sediment samples from a nine-metre sewer drain connected to the fort’s 3rd-century bath complex latrine. Using microscopy and biomolecular techniques, the team found eggs from roundworm and whipworm, plus the first-ever evidence in Roman Britain of Giardia duodenalis, a microscopic protozoan that causes debilitating diarrhoea.
This paints a grim picture of daily life for the legionaries stationed at this northern frontier. Dr. Marissa Ledger, who led the Cambridge component of the study, explained the impact: “The three types of parasites we found could have led to malnutrition and cause diarrhoea in some of the Roman soldiers. While the Romans were aware of intestinal worms, there was little their doctors could do.” Roundworms can grow 20-30cm long, while whipworms reach about 5cm; both sap nutrients and cause abdominal pain.
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The presence of Giardia is particularly telling. Dr. Piers Mitchell, the study’s senior author and an Affiliated Scholar at Cambridge’s McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, highlighted the danger: “Some soldiers could have become severely ill from dehydration during summer outbreaks of Giardia, which are often linked to contaminated water. Untreated giardiasis can drag on for weeks, causing dramatic fatigue and weight loss.” This suggests that even with organised latrines and a drainage system, contamination of food, water, or hands was rampant.
How could this happen in a fort with seemingly modern sanitation? Dr. Patrik Flammer, who analysed samples at the University of Oxford, noted the flaw: “Despite the fact that Vindolanda had communal latrines and a sewer system, this still did not protect the soldiers from infecting each other with these parasites.” The close quarters, shared facilities, and likely contaminated water source meant pathogens spread easily via the faecal-oral route.
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The study also examined an earlier 1st-century ditch sample, which also contained worm eggs, showing the problem persisted over centuries. The parasitic profile at Vindolanda aligns with other Roman military sites across Europe, emphasizing that army life—despite its discipline—was a hotspot for specific gut infections. Interestingly, urban Roman sites show more variety, including tapeworms from undercooked meat and fish.
For Dr. Andrew Birley, CEO of the Vindolanda Charitable Trust who leads excavations, this evidence deepens our understanding of frontier hardship. “Excavations at Vindolanda continue to find new evidence that helps us to understand the incredible hardships faced by those posted to this northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire nearly 2,000 years ago,” he said. Beyond the iconic wall and leather shoes, the reality included a constant, weakening battle against invisible invaders within their own guts—a vivid reminder that ancient engineering could not conquer microscopic foes.
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