According to CNET, according to a new study, the analysis of ancient feces dating back to 4500 years provides some fascinating insights into the diet of people who may have built the iconic Stonehenge** The more formal name for this preserved feces is coprolite. A team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge investigated 19 fecal fossils excavated from dung piles and found parasite eggs in a sample of human feces and four dog feces.
Previous studies have shown that the Durrington Walls are occupied seasonally and hold winter banquets. Archaeologist piers Mitchell said in a statement from Cambridge University on Thursday: "this is the first discovery of intestinal parasites from Neolithic England. It's really amazing to find them in the environment of Stonehenge." Mitchell is published this week in parasitology 》The lead author of the study on these faeces in the journal.
The study details how some faeces, including a human sample, contain eggs from the parasite capillariid, most likely transferred from infected cattle. "Evidence of capillariid eggs in human feces suggests that this person ate the raw or undercooked lungs or liver of an infected animal, causing the parasite's eggs to pass directly through the body. The presence of eggs in dog feces indicates that dog residents of the wall of Durrington have also eaten viscera," the University researchers said
Although Stonehenge has been intensively studied for a long time, researchers are still discovering new information about the site. For example, the fragments of Stonehenge may have been taken from another monument, and lard may be a secret ingredient used to help transport large stones.
Insect eggs show how preserved fecal fossils can give a glimpse of people's diet when Stonehenge took shape, filling a human mystery related to one of the world's most iconic and mysterious monuments.