Stonehenge Builders Ate Undercooked Cattle Organs During Winter Feasting; Parasitic Worms Found on Prehistoric Feces

Stonehenge builders and their dogs may have indirectly consumed parasitic worms, according to a new study.

After finding the worms from ancient feces in the area, scientists asserted that the ancient builders feasted on raw or undercooked cattle organs of animals infected with the parasites.

The research indicated that eating raw organs of animals is part of the builders' so-called "winter feasting" while constructing the Stonehenge.

The discovery added insight to the diverse diet of the Stonehenge creators at a time when the historical site was built thousands of years ago, as well as the agricultural lifestyle of the stone constructors.

Stonehenge Neolithic Builders

(Photo : Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

In the new paper published in the journal Parasitology on Thursday, May 19, a study led by archaeologists from the University of Cambridge in England, UK, conducted an analysis of intestinal parasites amongst the Neolithic population who built Stonehenge at 2500 B.C., an approximate period when most of the construction took place.

The site of the study is centered at the Durrington Walls, a Neolithic settlement located around 2.8 kilometers from Stonehenge and near the Wiltshire monument where the scientists have unearthed evidence of parasitic worm eggs.

In the study, the archaeologists believed that the settlement in Great Britain was used as a campsite by the Neolithic builders.

Analyses of ancient feces or coprolites discovered at Durrington Walls were derived from at least 19 fecal fossils recovered from midden and associated pits.

Also Read: Parasitic Worms Alter Bacterial Balance In The Guts; Helps Prevent Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Ancient Feces and Parasitic Worms

Using digital light microscopy, the fossilized excrement or fossilized poop showed that both humans and dogs acquired the parasitic worms.

This was made possible as the builders likely gave their leftover undercooked food, such as cattle organs, including the lungs and livers of cows, to their canine pets, the archaeologists claimed.

Amongst the samples, five coprolites, including one human and four dogs, contain eggs of parasitic worms.

The human feces contain the eggs of capillariid worms.

The novel research makes it the earliest evidence of intestinal parasites discovered in the UK where the parasite host species integrated and produced parasite-infected feces was also identified, as per the BBC.

Winter Feasting and Stonehenge

Following the excavation of the ancient feces with parasitic worms, the study found the consumption of intestine parasitic worms largely occurred during winter feasting, a cultural or religious celebratory activity that coincided with the building of Stonehenge.

Based on previous excavations, the Stonehenge builders have also snacked on sweet treats like aged fruit and nuts.

Lastly, the consumption of the raw cow guts is in addition to their discovered supplemented diet consisting of crab apples, hazelnuts, and sloes.

Stonehenge, as well as the Avebury in Wiltshire, has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1986.

The historical site has also been a mark of folklore where Merlin, a so-called wizard from the stories of the legendary King Arthur, helped built the Stonehenge by transporting massive stones from Ireland with the help of mythical giants to assemble them in a circular order facing each other, according to the National Geographic.

Currently, the site has become one of the UK's most famous tourist attractions; a multi-generation topic of popular culture, historians, and archaeologists. 

Related Article: Prior Building the Stonehenge Structures, Hunter-gatherers Used Open Landscapes