UQ archaeology digs into the life behind Pompeii [latrines]

University of Queensland ^ | November 25, 2009 | Dr Andy Fairbairn or Andrew Dunne

[SunkenCiv]

Brisbane may be 2000 years and half-a-world away from Pompeii, but it hasn't stopped a UQ archaeologist from digging up some hidden treasures. Dr Andy Fairbairn, a senior lecturer in archaeology with UQ's School of Social Science, is working on a project looking at the life inside one of the world's most famous dig sites... He does this by collecting samples from what would have been the toilets of the day to see the types of food were eaten... He said his team of volunteer archaeology students patiently go through hundreds of bags of samples collected in Pompeii, looking for seeds and other plant material to build up a picture of what was being eaten and traded... Dr Fairbairn said while it may seem strange to have an Australian archaeology team working on ancient Roman sites, UQ's reputation in the field was strong, especially in archaeological science.

[SunkenCiv]

See, JoeProBono should have posted this topic, we'd have some appropriate graphic here instead of this.

[SunkenCiv]

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[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

My guess is those latrines filled up pretty quick one day in 79 A.D.!

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, it’ll probably skew the data.

[colorado tanker]

Look at the upside, the stuff wouldn't smell anymore.

But, overall I'd say this is a really crappy story.

[Billthedrill]

A lot of kids who got into archaeology after Raiders Of The Lost Ark are going to be awfully disappointed to learn that it involves shovels and latrines. Oh, and the army pays better, too.

[SunkenCiv]

Oh sure, but you rarely get to eat live monkey brains with chopsticks in the Army. Unless the cooks run out of powdered eggs...

[SunkenCiv]

I dunno... the liquemen (fermented fish sauce) jars found a couple miles out in the country, in a former liquemen factory buried by the 79 AD eruption, still smelled of fish. :’)

[colorado tanker]

Fish sauce. That stuff was so infamous, I'm not surprised it still smells today. :-))

[SunkenCiv]

That was a popular condiment. :’)