Despite Latrines and Aqueducts, Ancient Romans Were Full of Worms

Roman latrines from Lepcis Magna in Libya. (Credit: Craig Taylor) Roman civilization wasn’t as clean and healthy as we’ve been led to believe. Despite communal latrines, public baths, water aqueducts and requirements that human waste be hauled out of cities in carts, the Roman Empire was rife with parasites. In a study published Thursday in the journal Parasitology, Piers Mitchell shows that far from cleaning up the Empire, the sanitation practices employed in ancient Rome did little to stem the spread of parasites and lice. Further, their taste for fermented fish sauce may actually have helped spread a particular tapeworm.