The archaeological study of insects, or archaeoentomology, can provide vital evidence about past environments, food, health and living conditions.

Though our homes today has become somewhat sanitised relative to the past, we still share our lives with other species, especially insects. Archaeoentomology is the study of insect remains on sites of archaeological interest. The analysis of insects from archaeological contexts can be an important lens with which to view the past. The can reveal big picture questions about the local environment. They can tell us about trade and agriculture. And reveal insights into hygiene both in the house and of the individuals themselves. They can also tell us about diet and health, and in some cases, funeral practices.

The study of insects is most powerful when combined with other forms of environmental analysis, and it can create a deeply intimate (perhaps too intimate) understanding of people in the past. In this episode of the Amplify Archaeology Podcast, Neil had a chat with Dr. Steve Davis of the School of Archaeology, University College Dublin. Steve tells us of what kind of evidence insect analysis can provide and the background to this expert sub-discipline. This is a fascinating discussion and I hope you enjoy the episode, but perhaps not one to listen to while you’re having your dinner!

A Bug’s AfterLife; Archaeological Insect Analysis – Key Discussion Points

• How do you find archaeological insects, do they preserve well? – 1 min 10 secs
• What are the ideal sort of contexts to find insects in? – 2 min 39 secs
• What sort of information can insects reveal about the past? – 5 min 30 secs
• What can insects reveal about big events like pandemics? – 9 min 43 secs
• Can insects tell us more about things like farming, industrial processes or trade? – 12 min 15 secs
• Living with insects – 15 min 10 secs
• What can insects tell us about the differences between living in an urban or rural setting – 16 min 15 secs
• The Joy of Cess – 21 min 52 secs
• Body lice and fleas – 22 mins 42 secs
• What species of insect does Steve love to discover when he is examining a sample – 24 min 15 secs
• Insects in the house – 26 min 55 secs
• The origins of archaeological insect studies and the work of Dr. Eileen Reilly – 28 mins 41 secs
• The challenges posed to archaeoentomology – 33 min 42 secs
• How did Steve get into the study of insects – 36 mins 35 secs
• How is Ireland faring with archaeological insect studies, is there more that can be done? – 39 min 38 secs
• Is there a danger of ‘period bias’ when it comes to what we sample and analyse – 43 min 39 secs
• Should archaeologists start sampling more for insect analysis? – 47 min 10 secs

Show notes and links to further information

• Thanks to Steve and Eva Kourela for kindly providing the images used on this page.
• Dr Eileen Reilly who sadly passed in 2018, has had an incredible legacy on environmental archaeology in Ireland and elsewhere. I was fortunate to work briefly with Eileen during the analysis of the Mill at Kilbegly back in 2007, and her insights were so important in developing our understanding. She was as wonderful a person as she was an archaeologist and researcher. Eileen’s work features prominently in the excellent recent publication Between the Meadows, that describes the excavation and analysis of a remarkable series of preserved trackways in the wetlands of Edercloon near Longford.
• Another important aspect of Eileen’s work was her research on Viking and Medieval Dublin. Encapsulated in this paper: The contribution of insect remains to an understanding of the environment of Viking-age and Medieval Dublin
• And this paper in Quaternary International: From Christchurch Place to Fishamble Street: Developments inarchaeoentomology in Dublin, Ireland, since 1981 (hosted on Academia.edu but there is no need to create an account, you can access the full article by scrolling down rather than trying to download).
• Part of Steve’s research was to examine what insects can reveal about prehistoric burnt mounds. You can read his paper here: The Environmental Context and Function of Burnt-Mounds: New Studies of Irish Fulachtaí Fiadh
• Deer Park Farms featured prominently in the discussion, and you can read about what the insect evidence reveals about that important site here: Environment, activity and living conditions at Deer Park Farms: evidence from plant and invertebrate remains. (Hosted on Academia.edu but there is no need to create an account, you can access the full article by scrolling down rather than trying to download).
• If you’d like to read the paper on that remarkably dedicated project by Prof. Peter Osborne you can do so here: An insect fauna from a modern cesspit and its comparison with probable cesspit assemblages from archaeological sites.
• And this was built on in this paper by Dr Katherine Grove: Discerning beetles, an entomo-archaeological study of coleopteran faunas in relation to place and time.
• Or Dr David Smith’s paper: Pondering Privies: Construction, Use, Reuse, and Other Speculations About Cesspits in the Archaeological Record.
• The importance of environmental archaeology was also discussed in the episode on Wetland Archaeology.
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