Macro & Micro Fossil Micro-Constituents
Analysis of digested matrix reveals a dietary regime heavily reliant on coarse bran, whole grains, and minimal fresh fruits or vegetables. The subject consumed hundreds of whole wheat and rye bran flakes per gram of sample.
Nutritional & Digestive Assessment
- Gastrointestinal Transit Time: Retained for an estimated 72–120+ hours before expulsion.
- Mineral Density: High calcification due to burial soil replacement and intestinal retention.
- Toxicity Note: Presence of Agrostemma githago indicates unrefined flour contaminated with weeds.
Helminth Egg Concentration
Microscopic rehydration of paleofaecal samples from the Lloyd's Bank specimen revealed massive concentrations of parasitic roundworm and whipworm ova.
Causes chronic trichuriasis, abdominal distress, tenesmus, bloody diarrhoea, and severe intestinal inflammation.
Large intestinal nematodes causing malnutrition, intestinal blockage, and impaired nutrient absorption.
Pathological Symptom Simulator
Diagnosed Health State: Severe Intestinal Helminthiasis
The individual experienced debilitating abdominal cramps, intestinal distress, anemia, severe vitamin deficiencies, and involuntary bowel tenesmus due to thousands of adult parasites anchored in the cecal mucosa.
Discovery & Preservation History
Uncovered in 1972 during excavations by the York Archaeological Trust under the site of a future Lloyd's Bank branch on Pavement/Coppergate, York. The specimen was perfectly preserved for over 1,100 years due to the anaerobic, waterlogged, peaty soil conditions of Viking-age Jórvík.
Measuring 20 cm (7.9 in) long and 5 cm (2.0 in) wide, it is officially recorded as the largest paleofaecal specimen of human origin ever discovered. In 1991, paleoscatologist Dr. Andrew Jones famously remarked: "This is the most stunning piece of excrement I've ever seen... In its own way, it's as irreplaceable as the Crown Jewels."
The original fossil is currently preserved and on display at the JORVIK Viking Centre in York, England.