Sea urchins, dormice and figs: Romans' rich diet revealed after archaeologists sift through tons of 2,000-year-old excrement



British team get their hands dirty excavating ancient sewer system

It may not sound the most glamorous job in the world but a team of British archaeologists say they are thrilled to be sifting through tons of 2,000 year old ancient Roman poo.

The nine tons of historical excrement is among waste that has been found in the sewer system of the town of Herculaneum, which was buried by an eruption from nearby Mt Vesuvius near Naples in AD79.

Specialists involved in the Herculaneum Conservation Project excavating the ancient drains of the city have uncovered the largest deposit of organic material ever found in the Roman world.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your poo: The British team sifts through piles of the ancient excrement

Tons of excrement has been sifted through by the historians as they search out clues about the diet and health of the ancient Romans that lived in the city before suffering their horrific fate.

The research has revealed a wealth of information about the types of food eaten by ordinary, lower-class, Romans, showing they feasted on sea urchins and dormice as well as fish, figs, olives and eggs.



Herculaneum and the perhaps better known nearby town of Pompeii have provided a fascinating insight in to life 2,000 years ago and amongst past other finds are dozens of perfectly preserved skeletons.

In all 774 sacks of human waste - enough to fill a lorry - have been excavated from the drains but so far only ten per cent has been sifted and there are more than 7,000kg left to go through.

Project director professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill said: 'Sifting through tons of poo may not be everyone's idea of enjoyment but to us its fascinating and we have discovered so much.

'It is the largest and fullest collection of ancient Roman waste ever excavated and it is actually very interesting to look at. In the past archaeologists would throw it away because they didn't have the technology that we have today.

Dirty job: An archaeologist carefully excavates the Roman sewer in the town of Herculaneum

Bounty: The 2000-year-old sewer has so far yielded 774 sacks of human waste and and there are another eight tons left

'In essence its passed through a series of sieves each one getting smaller and smaller and then the finest particles left are examined through a microscope.

'At first we find bones and then after that we get down to pips, seeds and at the last level there is bacteria but I hasten to add it's not dangerous as it is composted.'

Tight squeeze: An archaeologist crawls through the ancient sewer

Professor Wallace-Hadrill added: 'We can find out such a lot about what Romans ate by sifting through the poo and in essence it is the classic Mediterranean Diet, plenty of fish and fruit.

'We have a good idea of what the rich ate but we have a lesser idea of what the poor ordinary Roman ate and this study will hopefully tell us that and for example what spices they used. '

The Roman town of Herculaneum, close to Pompeii was destroyed by the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79

Project manager Jane Thompson said: 'Studying this waste and linking it to the inhabitants or workers in the buildings above is allowing us to learn more about their lives, the types of food people ate and the work they did.'

She added: 'We have only scratched the surface and have hundreds of bags left to go through and are offering people the chance to come and help us sieve through the poo and help us in the project.'

A stunning fresco adorns a wall in the ancient city. The British team have been concentrating on a considerably different type of ancient relic

The excrement has been found in an 86-metre tunnel which is linked to chutes that flowed from the latrines and kitchens of the homes and shops above.