Dietary evidence from the intestinal contents of ancient humans with particular reference to desiccated remains from northern Chile

Although the study of ancient faecal debris has its roots in the earlier part of this century, it is only really since the detailed work of, for example, Helbaek (1950, 1958) and Callen & Cameron (1960) that the potential of this class of archaeological artefact has been realized. Since their time a substantial literature has accumulated and the now well-established techniques of palaeofaecal analysis are adding significantly to present knowledge of prehistoric subsistence (see the reviews by Bryant 1974b, Callen 1967, Fry 1985, Hillman 1986, Wilke & Hall 1975).