Feces from Stonehenge’s builders reveal that the meat they ate at feasts was not always properly cooked. And so the prehistoric construction workers contracted parasites.

Less than two miles from the famed megalithic monument of Stonehenge, is the Neolithic settlement of Durrington Walls. It is believed that this village housed the builders of Stonehenge. In a new study, researchers have looked into particularly well-preserved bits of poop found in Durrington Walls. And that provides new insight into the health of the builders of Stonehenge.

coprolites

Under the right conditions, feces can fossilize. When that happens, they are also known as coprolites. In the new study, archaeologists looked at 19 pieces of coprolites found in Durrington Walls. The droppings have withstood the test of time exceptionally well and are more than 4,500 years old.

Human coprolite (preserved human feces) found in Durrington Walls. Image: Lisa-Marie Shillito

After a thorough analysis of the droppings, the researchers make a special discovery. For example, five of the coprolites examined (one from a human and four from dogs) were found to contain parasite eggs. According to the researchers, this is the oldest evidence of intestinal parasites in the UK. “This is the first time intestinal parasites have been discovered in Neolithic Britain,” said researcher Piers Mitchell. “And that they were found in coprolites excavated near Stonehenge is extra special.”

parties

The researchers suspect that the prehistoric construction workers put the parasites on during parties. It is known that the builders of Stonehenge liked a nice party. For example, during excavations near Durrington Walls, much pottery and more than 38,000 animal bones have been found. About 90 percent of the bones belonged to pigs and about 10 percent to cows. “Since the parasites found can infect livestock and other ruminants, it appears that the intestinal parasites originated from these cows,” Mitchell thinks.

Insufficiently cooked

According to the team, it is possible that Stonehenge’s builders ate the meat of infected cattle during parties. “The new evidence provides new insight into the people who traveled to Durrington Walls during the construction of Stonehenge,” said study researcher Mike Pearson. “Pork and beef were roasted on a spit or cooked in pots. But it seems that the meat was not always cooked properly.” And so the prehistoric construction workers contracted parasites. They then fed the leftovers from the feasts to dogs. And so these four-legged friends also got parasites.

fish tapeworm

In addition to the parasites found, one of the examined dog coprolites was found to contain fish tapeworm eggs. This suggests that this dog ate the raw meat of an infected freshwater fish. And that’s a bit strange. There is in fact no evidence – such as bones – found around Durrington Walls that people feasted on fish. Still, Mitchell thinks he has an explanation. “Durrington Walls was mostly inhabited during the winter periods,” Mitchell says. “The dog has probably already arrived in the village infected with the parasite.”

All in all, the researchers show with their study that the catering during the parties of the builders of Stonehenge occasionally left something to be desired. So while Durrington Walls was a place of celebration and habitation – as evidenced by all the pottery and sheer number of animal bones that have been found – Stonehenge itself was not. Little evidence has been found to suggest that people feasted around this famed megalithic monument.