Largest poo ever recorded shows diet of man responsible over a thousand years later
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The largest poo ever recorded is more than 1,000 years old and offers a fascinating insight into the diet of the people from that time.
It might sometimes seem like science is a bit hard to grasp and obtuse, but there’s nothing arcane about this bit of research.
After all – as the popular book states – everybody poops.
Well, not like this they don’t, actually.
This poo is seriously large – it’s around 20 centimetres long and five centimetres wide, and it’s thought to have come from the bum of a real Viking, which really puts us in touch with the history of Britain.
It was discovered in York around half a century ago, and has been traced all the way back to the ninth century.
York Archaeological Trust dug up the monstrous turd in 1972 and it has been sitting in pride of place in a museum since then.
Of course, scientists were also interested as well as the historians, as testing the ancient leavings could offer some interesting insights into the diet of the person who created it.
The poo – known professionally as a paleo-faeces or coprolite – was just waiting to be discovered for more than 1,000 years at the site, which later became a Lloyds Bank.
Make of that what you will.
So, onto the s***ty science.
The researchers have discerned that the poo most likely came from a Viking bloke, and that bloke had a diet made up primarily of meat and bread, as the poo is ‘moist and peaty’.
Great, thanks for that turn of phrase.
Not only was the Viking man poorly nourished, he also had a load of parasitic intestinal worms, as evidenced by the hundreds of eggs discovered in the poop.
Gill Snape, a student conservator at the York Archaeological Trust, had previously said: "Whoever passed it probably hadn't performed for a few days, shall we say.
“This guy had very itchy bowels."
Back in 1991, another very excited scientist discussed the poo, and how important it is.
Dr Andrew Jones said: “This is the most exciting piece of excrement I've ever seen. In its own way, it's as irreplaceable as the Crown Jewels."
Despite having sat for a millennium underground, the s*** really hit the fan in 2003 when it split into three pieces.
It was reportedly knocked to the floor by a passing teacher, there to study it.
Luckily, they managed to stick it back together and it remains on display - to all those fascinated by faeces - to this day.
Featured Image Credit: Jorvik Viking Centre
Topics: UK News, Weird, Science, Food And Drink