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| Figure 1: Coprolite from Hinds Cave site (Image Source: Texas Beyond History) |
Move over artifacts, mummies, and large architectural wonders! These provide a great deal of information about ancient human populations, but there is another area of archaeological research that provides a different set of information pertaining to diets, seasonality, health, genetics, and more: the study of ancient poop (formally known as coprolites)! Yes, archaeologists do not just dig through the garbage but also look at literal crap left behind by past people, which is the topic of today's blog post. A discussion of what coprolites are, what we can learn from them, and new perspectives pertaining to these studies will be covered. So without further delay let's get down to business!
The term coprolite comes from the Greek roots for "feces" and "lithics". It was first coined in 1829 and used to identify dinosaur feces. While it was and remains an area of study among paleontologists it very quickly also became an area of study for archaeologists, who quickly realized that they could gain important insights into past populations. Coprolites are collected at sites throughout the New and Old World. Coprolites are most often collected from cave sites, privies, as well as mummies.
The study of coprolites has been used to glean information about past human populations, particularly regarding reconstructions of diets and subsistence strategies, as well as parasite infestations. From these scholars can also gain deeper insights into traded food items, technological innovations (e.g. the transition from foraging to agricultural strategies), seasonality of site occupation, and more. This information is gained through the dissection of coprolites, which contain a variety of items, such as animal remains (e.g. bone, shell, scales, hair, fur, feathers), plant remains (e.g. seeds, phytoliths, pollen, leaves, flowers, stems); grit (from sand or ground stone), fungus, viruses, bacteria, and even DNA (Figure 1).
The discovery of DNA in coprolites is a more recent discovery of the use of coprolite analyses, and it has opened up a new area of study for this analytical area of the field. While coprolite analyses can be done alone scholars have more recently advocated for the combination of coprolite analyses with other archaeological studies in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the past. The reason for this inclusion of additional studies with coprolite studies is because coprolites are limited in scope as they represent food consumption patterns from the past 24 hours prior to feces expulsion and therefore do not provide a complete picture of past life ways. Multidisciplinary and multifaceted investigations can fill in the gaps about the past.
In conclusion, archaeological and bioarchaeological analyses truly are dirty disciplines. This dirty work provides a great deal of insights into past populations. A great deal of information can be gained from the study of coprolites, making it a worthwhile subject to study.
References
Gilbert, M.T.P.; Jenkins, D.L.; Gotherstrom, A.; Naveran, N.; Sanchez, J.J.; Hofreiter, M.; Thomsen, P.F.; Binladen, J.; Higham, T.F.G.; Yohe II, R.M.; Parr, R.; Cummings, L.S.; Willerslev, E. 2008. "DNA from Pre-Clovis Human Coprolites in Oregon, Norht America." Science May 9: 786-789.
Iñiguez, A.M.; Araújo, A.;
Ferreira, L.F.; Vicente, A.C.P. 2003. “Analysis of Ancient DNA from Coprolites:
A Perspective with Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA-Polymerase Chain Reaction Approach.”
Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 98(Suppl.
1): 63-65.
Johnston, G.
2015. “Coprolite Analysts.” Archaeology
Expert http://www.archaeologyexpert.co.uk/coproliteanalysts.html
Reinhard, K.J. 2000. “Coprolite
Analysis: The Analysis of Ancient Human Feces in Dietary Data.” Archaeological
Method and Theory: An Encyclopedia.
Reinhard, K.J. and Hevly, R.H. 1991.
“Dietary and Parasitological Analysis of Coprolites Recovered from Mummy
5, Ventana Cave, Arizona.” KIVA 56: 319-327.
Reinhard, K.J. and Bryant Jr., V.M. 1992.
“Coprolite Analysis: A Biological Perspective on Archaeology.” Papers
in Natural Resources 245-288.
Reinhard, K.J.; Ambler, J.R.; Szuter, C.R. 2007.
“Hunter-Gatherer Use of Small Animal Food Resources: Coprolite
Evidence.” International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 17: 416-428.
Wilke, P.J. and Hall, H.J.
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46 comments:
Interesting article, I would like to know if there were any famous corpolite studies that greatly changed society and how we live today.
I also wanted to know do they conduct corpolite studies ofeten in America.
Good morning, Molique. I am addressing your questions as one in this reply. I do not know of any coprolite studies that have changed our society today, but several have changed our perceptions of past societies. Karl Reinhard's work has been prolific and very useful in many different studies, particularly in the region where I work (Northern Chile). Rhonda Bathurst's work on parasites and coprolites in northern Peru has been instrumental in understanding the health of past populations, as well. As for how often they are conducted if there is poop and there is someone able and interested in studying it then it can and often is done at some point. North American studies are a little more rare because of preservation factors are not favorable to preserving poop, but they are quite commonly done in areas with mummies and optimal preservation. :)
With corpolite studies do you believe with the research that has been done in other countries including where you studded in Northern Chile they can focus on the individuals diets and what kinda of animals and vegetables were found in the area due to their waste?
Yes, that is in part what archaeologists/bioarchaeologists can focus on, although they do not do so exclusively. Coprolites can only provide us insights into that food that went into that poop, and it does not provide us an accurate picture/framework of daily life. This is why we typically rely on multiple lines of evidence in making such assessments and reaching conclusions.
Not sure if missed it, but what exactly is it that allows the feces to still exist? After a while I would imagine it would be very hard to find it. To me it looks a lot like dirt, so what clues do people look for to distinguish it as feces and therefore want to dissect it?
Great questions, Kre. There has to be really great preservation factors to allow feces to survive in the archaeological record, which does make it difficult to find them. There are ways to distinguish paleofeces/coprolites from dirt, but I'll spare you the details.
If we know what food was available to the people living at this time then why do they look at the poop wouldn't it be kind of a waste of time and energy?
Josh Mitchell
Good question, Josh. While there may be a variety of foods available in a region it does not mean that people have equal access to those foods or that all of those foods are actually eaten. Think about all the foods available to you when you go to a grocery store. Do you get everything or do you select items based on your tastes, monies, etc.? Same ideas apply to past cultures. :)
I never knew feces could last for this long! Out of curiosity, what kinds of foods were eaten back in that time? I assume if they're able to see what kind of foods were being traded at the time that archaeologist would be to tell us what kinds of foods were eaten consistantly.
Foods that were eaten in the past were not that different from today, although regionally specific, of course. We discussed some of this in Chapter 12, the Agriculture chapter, so you can get that information there (and study for your upcoming exam). :)
I had no idea that there were actual studies on feces. It's not a subject I would want to study, but it's still fascinating that there are food variant findings from different animals and people groups based on feces.
When finding the feces, it is still intact as if it had been delivered? In other words, does it have to be put together? Have you ever had to work with feces?
Excellent questions, Tatum. I do not believe the feces have to be in tact, although the more the better. And I have never worked with coprolites, although I have handled them (in a bag).
This is a very interesting article, I didn't realize that it was so much history and facts on feces and different food variant findings from animals.
Interesting article! Was there a specific reason they started looking at feces or did they just come across it and realized they could learn from it?
Interesting question. Prior to the scientific advances in the discipline the study of coprolites was one of the few ways to get information about human diets and health. It is still very useful in providing us insights into people and still used as available.
Do you know anyone who has been reconnected with their past ancestors based on the DNA analysis of past feces and a person today??
(It would be cool to be told that you are related to a King or something because of poop found in the ground from 800 years ago!)
Not that I'm aware of, but I think that may not be possible given the variation in genetics over the generations.
What does the survival of this coprolite tell us about the environment in which it was deposited?
so basically this article is saying by studying the poop of the people(s) in an area/time, we can then identify what they ate
DNA? Like DNA from other humans? Or are you saying it's their own DNA? I'm confused?
Your poop, your DNA.
S. Carter
I know "getting dirty" is part of anthropologists and archaeologists job, but has there been any notifications of them catching serious diseases or anything from things they have collected and dissected or examined?
Excellent question. There is a small chance of this occurring among archaeological materials, but just in case we take precautions. For example, in the excavation for the purposes of moving a historically known cemetery bioarchaeologists wore hazmat suits because of the use of arsenic in embalming of the corpses. The risk was assumed to be low to the investigators but they did not want to take a chance of contamination. The only other example of someone getting sick that I am aware of was when my former undergraduate adviser was processing a bird to add to her comparative collection, and she had an open wound. The bird was carrying a disease that she caught through her open wound, but she was able to get it taken care of through an antibiotic. This, however, was a bird that had recently died and was not an archaeological specimen.
I believe studying coprolites is a perfect way to understand ancient human diets.
LaTroya "Trey" Jamison
Are there things that cannot be determined in feces?
These studies are limited to the investigations noted in this article.
I agree with you on when you said that the dirty work provides great detail from the past. We can learn a lot from poop, like what a person ate and how they took care of themselves. This is very awesome because we don't know a lot about the past and the more poop we find, the more we would find out (possibly).
Had no idea the word "feces" was so old and that it could be used to learn anything. I figured since it just waste that it wouldn't provide any information. I also figured people wouldn't want anything to do with it at all haha.
-Tyler Armstrong
This is a very interesting article, i have learned so much from this article that i didn't know.I didn't understand that it was so much history and actualities on dung and distinctive sustenance variation discoveries from creatures.
So how exactly do archaeologist determine what the coprolite samples came from, and how can they tell what it is by just looking at it? I feel like it would be very easy for someone to overlook while digging.
My question is that i knew that poop could last for about a week mainly referring to dog poop that i often see in my apartment complex grass. But i did, not know that human poop could last for so long, my question is since it last for so long is it harder to dissect the poop? is the poop more harder? or is their a way that the poop can get softened up for archaeologists to be able to dissect the poop.
What type of DNA is found in this? Do you agree with reserches are being made on this?
-Daisha Benton
This is a very interesting article, I didn't realize that you could find out so much just from poop itself. I thought that after while the poop would eventually go down in the ground , so it that they can get the poop after so long ?
Ainya Lomax
Well my question would be the same as Kre'Shona, but since it was discovered after so long, how would it still be a solid figure with the weather conditions it had to go through? Is this the reason why some of things found in the corprolites is mixed within? -Christopher McFadden
Very interesting that feces last this long, never knew poop could out age a person; although it makes sense in a way. It is natural waste.
How does the feces stay preserved like a fossil? Im surprised that it does not get decomposed and becomes a fertilizer. How does it become fossilized like such?
Amber Barnes
Wow I can just imagine the studies and college needed for feces. I mean I really hope mine is ever used as a research tool.
Chandler, as discussed in class a great many things can be preserved in the archaeological record if the conditions are prime for that to happen.
I never knew that feces remained for so long, however I do fully understand how analyzing the coprolites can be beneficial in gaining knowledge on the previous land owners.
PhinasiaButler
fecal matter is somethign that is nasty to me, but its interesting how you can gain knowledge of whats inside a human body.
I never knew that feces could be used a as research tool and it could stay around for so long I would have thought it would have started to dissolve into the soil I guess not. I would have never guessed you could learn some history from century's old poop . - Mykia Chaney
I don’t think id think anyone would ever study feces. It was interesting to know that it could be used as a tool for research and stays hard.
I didn't think you could get such information studying feces. It's intriguing to learn that it can last a long periods of time after death.
- Malacia Lowe
Who knew such information could be detailed when it comes to feces. I only wonder what can inspire one to study and find such facts such as the duration of human feces.
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