DNA Analysis Of Ancient Excrement Reveals The Diets Of Centuries Past
Researchers are exhuming ancient dung from toilets of yore to reconstruct snapshots of food and lifestyle in bygone centuries. The parasites that show up in privies reveal a lot about what people ate.
When it comes to the nitty, gritty details, life in antiquity was pretty stinky – in a literal sense. Without high food and personal hygienic standards, most people probably contracted an intestinal worm at some point or another, says veterinary scientist Martin Søe. "I think it's fair to say it was very, very common. In places with low hygienic standards, you still have a lot of whipworm and round worm."
That also means lots of
