Archaeoentomology: Using Insects to Tell Time

Insects have been on planet Earth for hundreds of millions of years. (Livingston 2014). Therefore we can expect that insects would have information about those years to offer us. Other methods of establishing timelines of an organism’s death, such as carbon dating, are important to date historic artifacts and findings, but insects may be able to narrow the location and environment down even further.

Insects are often found in many burial sites alongside human remains. These remains can be more recent, but insects can still provide data about organisms that have been deceased for centuries. The type of insects and quantity at a given location can provide valuable information about the burial practices, cadaver age, and in some cases even a probable cause of death. (Magni 2023).

In terms of cadaver age (time of death) different insects are known to inhabit the bodies of dead organisms at distinct stages of decay. There are insects that feed off of the organism shortly after it is deceased, these insects are classified as necrophagous insects, some examples are common flies and select beetle species. (Sharif 2024). Necrophilous insects come next and consume the necrophagous insects that made their home in the decay. Necrophilous insects are soon followed by omnivorous insects who find a food source in the corpse as well as the local necrophagous and necrophilous insects. Once the dead organism itself can no longer provide sustenance for the aforementioned insects, it is the opportunist insects who extend their domain into the cadaver. (Magni 2023).

Archaeologists and forensic entomologists can use this data both to determine time lines for deaths in today’s world, but it can also provide valuable information about humans that have been deceased for hundreds if not thousands of years.
The chitin in an insects exoskeleton is well resistant to time and based on the quantity and wear can tell scientists how long they’ve been there, and create an estimate of how many generations of insects the dead organism has sustained since it has been deceased.

Insects are present all over the world, and the properties of chitin allow it to hold up in environments all over the world as well. At least long enough for scientists to discover it, making this practice widely applicable.

References

Magni, Paola Annarosa, Abigail Dianne Harvey, and Edda Emanuela Guareschi. “Insects Associated with Ancient Human Remains: How Archaeoentomology Can Provide Additional Information in Archaeological Studies.” MDPI, January 3, 2023. https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/1/23. 

“Forensic and Ecological Significance of Necrophagous Insects: Insights from Animal Carcasses, Human Cadavers, and Myiasis Patients – Sciencedirect.” Forensic and ecological significance of necrophagous insects: Insights from animal carcasses, human cadavers, and myiasis patients, November 2024. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1344622324001548. 

Livingston, Stephanie. “Global ‘tree of Life’ Study Shows Insects Ruled Earth 400 Million Years Ago.” Global ‘tree of life’ study shows insects ruled Earth 400 million years ago, May 10, 2019. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/global-tree-of-life-study-shows-insects-ruled-earth-400-million-years-ago/. 

“Living Fossils: Insects and Arachnids.” Digital Atlas of Ancient Life, September 3, 2019. https://www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org/ve/living-fossils/insects-and-arachnids/.