ORTADOĞU'DA PALEOPARAZİTOLOJİ: ARAŞTIRMALARIN GELDİĞİ DÜZEY VE ÖNGÖRÜLER

The study of ancient parasites, known as paleoparasitology, has considerably developed since it was initiated almost a cen­tury ago. The aim of this specific field of research is to contribute to our knowledge on tire way of life of ancient popula­tions by documenting the history and the evolution of host-parasite relationship, paleopathology, diet, funerary practices, and cultures are some topics that can be enquired by working on preserved parasite markers. Due to their location at the crossroad different geographic and cultural zones, the Middle- and Near-East are among the regjons that has a high potential to provide data on paleoparasitological studies. It is thus surmised that the study of ancient parasites in this region, besides contributing data on life's of past populations in this region, would help detecting migra­tions and interaction among different communities. The paper is a general overview on the study of ancient parasites and the possible applications of this field; prospects for future paleoparasitological studies in the Middle-East will also be considered As there is a general paucity of paleopara­sitological studies in the region, the necessity to make further analyses is self-evident.