Discover how ancient people dealt with troublesome pests like insects, rodents, and parasites without modern conveniences like air-tight containers or pest control services. Explore the tools, techniques, and historical evidence revealing their ingenious methods for staying pest-free.
Ancient people weren’t immune to bothersome pests. Learn about the different methods and tools they used to stay pest-free.Ancient peoples didn't have the luxury of air-tight containers to keep insects out of food, screens to keep insects out of the house, or a local pest control specialist that could help keep your home pest-free. These menacing pests could cause much more than an inconvenience. They could spoil food stores or ruin crops.
Similarly, ancient Egyptian medical texts give advice on how to cope with lice and fleas, which indicates people at the time found both to be a nuisance. Complaints about pests are also documented in literature such as “The Satire of the Trades,” which Evans says mentions the “unwelcome effect of biting insects” like mosquitos and sandflies.
The discovery of archeological remains has helped scientists better understand how ancients coped with bothersome critters. Tools like ancient Egyptian, for example, have been identified. These double-sided combs had closely spaced, tight teeth meant to pull nits and lice from a person’s hair. Thus, ancient parents also knew the struggle that came with combing a wiggling child’s hair.
Similarly, ancient traps were also used to capture rodents, and Evans said a clay box found in Kahun may have been a rat trap. Elsewhere, clay boxes dating back 4,000 years have been found in Bampur , Mohenjo-Daro , and Mundigak .
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