Tomasz Bienias

"This is the largest fossilized human turd ever found. It belonged to a sick Viking in the 9th Century AD, and has been valued at $39,000".... The large, “precious” Poop, officially known as the Lloyds Bank Coprolite, the word “Coprolite” simply meaning fossilized dung. This 1200 year old log that is thought to be the largest recorded in human history. At 8 inches long and 2 inches wide, specimen was discovered, in York northwest England in 1972 by construction workers during the building of a Lloyds TSB branch, in an area once ruled by Norse warriors. It takes its name from institution Lloyds Bank. The huge poo had another red-letter moment in 1991 when dung scientist Dr. Andrew Jones appraised the piece in the name of insurance. “This is the most exciting piece of excrement I’ve ever seen,” he told the Wall Street Journal at the time. “In its own way, it’s as irreplaceable as the Crown Jewels.” Paleoscatologists have been able to discern much from the girthy deposit, including that its producer ate mostly meat and bread was likely a Viking, lived in approximately the 9th Century AD, and had a gut full of parasites. Indeed, the manure was found to be infested with Whipworm and Maw-worm eggs, suggesting the Viking often had an upset stomach and other gastrointestinal problems. Today, the log resides in a glass box at the Jorvik Viking Centre, York, England; where, in 2003, visitors dropped it, breaking it into three pieces. It has since been repaired. The Centre is proud to call itself the turd’s final resting place, even hosting a virtual workshop in February called “Poo Day!” in which fans learned about the dung’s significance.  #archaeohistories