Beyond identification: Human use of animal dung in the past

Abstract

Animal dung is still considered a secondary by-product of domestication, even though a growing body of evidence is showing that humans recognized its properties as fuel and fertilizer and utilized dung prior to—and alongside—the process of animal domestication. In this paper, we review the advancements made in dung identification over the last decades and suggest a multi-proxy workflow for fast screening for dung in the field laboratory and more refined post-excavation analysis. In addition, we provide a global synthesis of evidence for dung used as a resource, both from ethnographic and archaeological records. We review the use of animal dung as fuel, fertilizer, construction material, and medication, alongside its symbolic role in different societies around the globe. Finally, the use of animal dung as a proxy for human-animal interaction is discussed, and possible avenues for future research are proposed. Understanding how humans used dung can help answer a range of questions related to animal domestication, subsistence practices, technological advancements, and human decisions regarding resource allocation, among others.