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Topic · Archeology

Paleopathology and ancient diseases

Paleopathology and ancient diseases is a research topic within Archeology. Science Explorer counts 8.5k research works in it since 1950. 35.0% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on paleoparasitology, the study of ancient parasite infections and health conditions through the analysis of mummified remains, coprolites, and archaeological samples. It explores the presence of intestinal parasites, ancient DNA analysis, medical imaging techniques, and their implications for understanding human evolution and pathoecology. The research sheds light on the prevalence of parasite infections in ancient populations and their impact on human health throughout history.

  • Paleoparasitology
  • Ancient Health
  • Parasite Infections
  • Mummified Remains
  • Archaeological Samples
  • Intestinal Parasites
  • Human Evolution
  • Ancient DNA
  • Medical Imaging
  • Pathoecology
Research works
8.5k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
3k
per year above
Top-10% rate
35.0%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+22%
the tick is no change

Which countries lead Paleopathology and ancient diseases research?

By volume, the United States and France publish the most (221 and 146 works in 2022–2025).

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 221 works
  2. 2 France 146 works
  3. 3 United Kingdom 118 works
  4. 4 Italy 104 works
  5. 5 China 96 works
  6. 6 Spain 67 works
  7. 7 Germany 57 works
  8. 8 India 53 works
  9. 9 Russia 53 works
  10. 10 Brazil 45 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 23.1%France: 15.2%United Kingdom: 12.3%Italy: 10.9%6 others listed: 38.6%23%largest
United States221 · 23.1%France146 · 15.2%United Kingdom118 · 12.3%Italy104 · 10.9%6 others listed371 · 38.6%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Paleopathology and ancient diseases research?

By volume in 2022–2025, University of Cambridge publishes the most Paleopathology and ancient diseases research, followed by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas.

Where is Paleopathology and ancient diseases research done?

The largest centres of Paleopathology and ancient diseases research in 2022–2025 are Paris (France), Beijing (China), London (United Kingdom) and Rome (Italy).

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Paris France 43 works
  2. 2 Beijing China 22 works
  3. 3 London United Kingdom 19 works
  4. 4 Rome Italy 18 works
  5. 5 Buenos Aires Argentina 17 works
  6. 6 Moscow Russia 17 works
  7. 7 Madrid Spain 16 works
  8. 8 Cambridge United Kingdom 16 works
  9. 9 Warsaw Poland 12 works
  10. 10 Milan Italy 12 works
See Paleopathology and ancient diseases on the map

Where is the best place to study Paleopathology and ancient diseases?

Among universities, judged by research, University of Cambridge and Sapienza University of Rome score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom 80.951.6%8.4×14 +33.7%
2 Sapienza University of RomeItaly 17.224.9%4.8×8 +98.3%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Paleopathology and ancient diseases research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 22% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Paleopathology and ancient diseases.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.