The article presents the results of archaeoparasitology analysis of soil samples obtained during cleaning of sacrums of individuals of the Dzhetyasar archaeological culture (2nd–8th centuries AD) from burial grounds of the South-Eastern Aral Sea region. The purpose of the study was to reconstruct the diet, sanitary conditions of the settlements, and to identify possible directions of movements of the Dzhetyasar Culture population. During the study, eggs of intestinal parasites such as whipworm (Trichuris trichiura), oocysts of coccidia (Eimeria cameli) and broad tapeworm (Dibothriocephalus latus) were detected in soil samples. The data indicates the presence of freshwater fish in the diet of the population, moreover it also suggests poor hygiene, and potentially the use of faeces as fertilizer. The discovery of the broad tapeworm eggs possibly indicates migration links with northern regions such as Tuva, Mongolia and Western Siberia. The results align with the archaeological and anthropological data, supporting the multicomponent nature of the Dzhetyasar population and its connections with the nomadic groups of Semirechye, the Kyrgyz Alatau and Central Asia.

Keywords: archaeoparasitology, paleoparasitology, Early Middle Ages, Eastern Aral Sea region, migrations, paleodiet, sanitation, intestinal parasites, Dzhetyasarian archaeological culture.

 

Funding. The research was carried by within the framework of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (theme No. FWRZ-2021-0006) and also in accordance with the state assignment (R&D topic No. 122011200264-9).

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Accepted: 02.10.2025

Article is published: 15.12.2025