If archaeologists study the material remains of the human past, then it stands to reason that sooner or later they will come face-to-face with the mortal remains of the people who created that past. But what do we ultimately gain by disturbing the dead from their eternal slumber? And given that Human skeletons often reveal more about the life of an individual than their death, how do archaeologists learn about early societies from the way they treat their dead?

Over the winter of 2005/2006 I excavated a number of funerary sites on the N6 – and I have written about three of these sites in this months Current Archaeology: a Bronze Age pyre at Newford; an Early Christian transitionary burial from Ballygarraun West (excavated by John Lehanne); and an Early Medieval cemetery from Carrowkeel.

Download the full article here, and if you’re interested in similar sites, subscribe to Current Archaeology here.

Archaeology in Action: The Thames Discovery Programme from Thames Discovery on Vimeo.

Tipping Street Development Time Lapse Video from Staffs CC on Vimeo.

‘I know, I’ll do the biggest poo in history!’

Well… obviously I won’t do it personally. Talk about performance anxiety!

‘Yeah, is that the Guinness book of records? Can you send Norris McWhirta round, I’ve got a big job for him.’

No, no, no. Even if I did score a personal best, the Victorian invention of flushing has removed all but the most troublesome of floaters. Short of notifying the Coast Guard of the imminent danger to shipping, I’d be left with only a fisherman’s tale and a warm glow. That was until archaeology tore up the rulebook, and in the clearest indication yet that you don’t have to be mad to work here but it helps, invented a special branch of poo related science designed to record past accomplishments for posterity.

Its received wisdom that you can’t polish a turd, but Paleoscatologists (ancient poo specialists) go bat-shit-crazy for anything bum related. Given enough time and a conducive burial environment, poo begins to fossilize, changing its name in the process to a more scientifically respectable ‘coprolite.’ The biggest recorded coprolite was found in 1972 by archaeologists excavating the Viking settlement of Jórvík (now York) in northern England. It was found beneath the York branch of what would come to be Lloyds Bank, and as deposits go, this bad boy paid out with interest. At nine-inches (23 cm) long, it is the largest example of fossilised human feces ever found, and a gold mine of information about its one time owner.

By subjecting the weighty specimen to a barrage of scientific tests, archaeologists can tell that the individual lived on a diet of meat and bread and was riddled with parasitic worms. Paleo-scatman Andrew Jones (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop) described the coprolite as the most “exciting piece of excrement I’ve ever seen. In its own way, it’s as valuable as the Crown Jewels.” Proof if proof were needed that archaeologists operate within an entirely different value system to the rest of the universe. In fact the priceless poo is one of York Museum’s most treasured possessions, and is now on permanent display in the newly revamped Jórvík Viking Centre. Reveling in the stink of daily life circa 800AD, the centre has delighted school kids by the busload, even using the coprolite as the basis for a life-sized animatronic reconstruction of a Viking townsman squatting above a latrine mid-grimace.

But in 2003, The Lloyds Bank Coprolite came to a sticky end. Carefully removing the prized poo from the display case for a special party of VIP’s, a hapless curator lost control of his faculties, and the Loyds Bank Coprolite dropped to the floor. It smashed into three pieces, and by all accounts there followed a deafening silence whilst the enormity of the damage sank in. Can you guess he said next?

SSSSHHHHHH…………..!!!!!!!!!

The exact time, to the minute, when Marty McFly arrived in the future after hitting 88mph in the souped up Delorean in Back to the Future 2.

July 6th, 2010 01.21

(PS. As everyone knows, it was actually 2015 when Marty landed back in the future, but why let the facts get in the way! Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!)

Stepping away from the controversy, I’d like to hear about some of the multitude of other sites excavated prior to development that have revolutionised understanding of Irish archaeology.

I have been commissioned by Current Archaeology Magazine to write a series of articles detailing the best 10 of these sites, and over the coming months I will be posting more details on to diggingthedirt.com

What makes a top ten site?

I’m not yet sure, but I’m hoping to get as many opinions on likely candidates as possible from anyone and everyone involved – site assistant to director and beyond. If you have any ideas yourself, it’s time the world got to know:

What’s your top choice for the best site excavated during the Celtic Tiger and why?

Penfold Lookalikes descend on site…