The pattern of ancient parasite egg contamination in the private residence, alley, ditch and streambed soils of Old Seoul City, the Capital of Joseon Dynasty

• Archaeoparasitological study of an area of Seoul Old City was performed.
• Soil in alleys, streets and streams was more heavily contaminated with ancient parasite eggs than were houses of the time.
• This helps us to better understand the sanitary environment of a past city.

We report on our most recent archaeoparasitological examination of soil samples from 15th to 19th century Old Seoul City in Korea. The sediments were taken from the area in front of the Joseon Dynasty Jongmyo Shrine, which was situated at the juncture of a private residence, alley, side gutter and stream. The soils exhibited signs of serious parasitic contamination suggesting that the Old Seoul City inhabitants were particularly vulnerable to infection. The numbers of parasite eggs in the Joseon strata differed according to the sector: Trichuris and Ascaris eggs were found in the streambed, alley, and side gutter samples; none were discovered in the samples from the private house. We speculated that people tried to make their houses and workplaces clean, though resigned to unavoidably contaminated streets, alleys, and streams. The results of the present study offer, for the first time, a clear and detailed snapshot of contemporary Old Seoul City inhabitants’ lives.