Bronze age meals in the marshes – seasoned with parasitic worms

Human faeces from 900BC Must Farm reveal widespread intestinal worm infection

The clutch of homes that stood on stilts in the wetland fens of East Anglia were the envy of the local peasantry 3,000 years ago. But amid the remains of the grand wooden huts and the belongings of the well-to-do residents lurked evidence that all was not well at Must Farm, Britain's premier bronze age settlement.

Firm, sausage-shaped lumps found skulking in the mud that swallowed the settlement after a catastrophic fire have been identified as pieces of faeces. Inside these deposits researchers found a grim array of tiny eggs - the calling card for parasitic worm infestations.