ABSTRACT
The detection of manure application in antiquity has been attempted using numerous approaches including magnetic susceptibility, micromorphology, potsherd scatter, and total phosphate concentration. This chapter focuses on how the biomarker approach has been exploited to provide useful information about the application of manure to ancient field systems. With the diagnostic value of 5ß-stanols having been firmly established, work began to assess the longevity of these biomarkers in the soil environment. Furthermore, the authors confirmed the survival of bile acids in a wide range of contemporary and archaeological soils advocating their complementary use with 5ß-stanols to add diagnostic rigour to the identification of faecal material in archaeological soils. Organic geochemistry is concerned with the study of molecules that have been preserved in the archaeological/geological record for hundreds to many millions of years and as such preservation of these compounds in spite of the many environmental conditions to which they may have been exposed is a key area of interest.
