Slepchenko Sergey Mikhailovich

Introduction. This article examines the terminology and theoretical-methodological foundations of archaeoparasitology.

Materials and methods. The study is based on an analysis of Russian and international scholarship in paleoparasitology, archaeoparasitology, paleopathology, pathoecology, and anthropology. It includes a critical assessment of the key concepts and theoretical-methodological foundations of archaeoparasitology.

Results. The study demonstrates that the term paleoparasitology is most appropriately applied to the study of parasites from paleontological contexts and to the biological and evolutionary aspects of the parasite-host system, whereas archaeoparasitology is more suitable for research on parasites recovered from archaeological material associated with humans and human activity. It is further argued that archaeoparasitology occupies an interdisciplinary position at the intersection of archaeology, parasitology, bioarchaeology, and paleopathology, while also possessing its own specific objects of study, diagnostic logic, and reconstructive framework.

Conclusion. Archaeoparasitology should be regarded as an independent interdisciplinary field aimed at reconstructing parasitic diseases, ways of life, and the economic and cultural environment of ancient populations. Its most productive theoretical foundation is proposed to be the combination of the pathoecological approach with the concept of anthropogeocenosis.

Funding. The work was carried out within the framework of the state assignment «Study of human paleopopulations in the context of the analysis of natural and anthropogenic ecosystems of Western Siberia and adjacent territories (ZWRZ-2026-0029) № 126022618022-2».