Sea urchins, dormice and figs: Romans' rich diet revealed after archaeologists sift through tons of 2,000-year-old excrement 
 
 
 
 British team get their hands dirty excavating ancient sewer system 
 
 It may not sound the most glamorous job in the world but a team of British archaeologists say they are thrilled to be sifting through tons of 2,000 year old ancient Roman poo. 
 
 The nine tons of historical excrement is among waste that has been found in the sewer system of the town of Herculaneum, which was buried by an eruption from nearby Mt Vesuvius near Naples in AD79. 
 
 Specialists involved in the Herculaneum Conservation Project excavating the ancient drains of the city have uncovered the largest deposit of organic material ever found in the Roman world. 
 
 Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your poo: The British team sifts through piles of the ancient excrement 
 
 Tons of excrement has been sifted through by the historians as they search out clues about the diet and health of the ancient Romans that lived in the city before suffering their horrific fate. 
 
 The research has revealed a wealth of information about the types of food eaten by ordinary, lower-class, Romans, showing they feasted on sea urchins and dormice as well as fish, figs, olives and eggs. 
 
 
 
 Herculaneum and the perhaps better known nearby town of Pompeii have provided a fascinating insight in to life 2,000 years ago and amongst past other finds are dozens of perfectly preserved skeletons. 
 
 In all 774 sacks of human waste - enough to fill a lorry - have been excavated from the drains but so far only ten per cent has been sifted and there are more than 7,000kg left to go through. 
 
 Project director professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill said: 'Sifting through tons of poo may not be everyone's idea of enjoyment but to us its fascinating and we have discovered so much. 
 
 'It is the largest and fullest collection of ancient Roman waste ever excavated and it is actually very interesting to look at. In the past archaeologists would throw it away because they didn't have the technology that we have today. 
 
 Dirty job: An archaeologist carefully excavates the Roman sewer in the town of Herculaneum 
 
 Bounty: The 2000-year-old sewer has so far yielded 774 sacks of human waste and and there are another eight tons left 
 
 'In essence its passed through a series of sieves each one getting smaller and smaller and then the finest particles left are examined through a microscope. 
 
 'At first we find bones and then after that we get down to pips, seeds and at the last level there is bacteria but I hasten to add it's not dangerous as it is composted.' 
 
 Tight squeeze: An archaeologist crawls through the ancient sewer 
 
 Professor Wallace-Hadrill added: 'We can find out such a lot about what Romans ate by sifting through the poo and in essence it is the classic Mediterranean Diet, plenty of fish and fruit. 
 
 'We have a good idea of what the rich ate but we have a lesser idea of what the poor ordinary Roman ate and this study will hopefully tell us that and for example what spices they used. ' 
 
 The Roman town of Herculaneum, close to Pompeii was destroyed by the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79 
 
 Project manager Jane Thompson said: 'Studying this waste and linking it to the inhabitants or workers in the buildings above is allowing us to learn more about their lives, the types of food people ate and the work they did.' 
 
 She added: 'We have only scratched the surface and have hundreds of bags left to go through and are offering people the chance to come and help us sieve through the poo and help us in the project.' 
 
 A stunning fresco adorns a wall in the ancient city. The British team have been concentrating on a considerably different type of ancient relic 
 
 The excrement has been found in an 86-metre tunnel which is linked to chutes that flowed from the latrines and kitchens of the homes and shops above. ||||| Image caption Skeletons covered by the eruption of Vesuvius have been studied intensively 
 
 Archaeologists have been discovering how Romans lived 2,000 years ago, by studying what they left behind in their sewers. 
 
 A team of experts has been sifting through hundreds of sacks of human excrement. 
 
 They found a variety of details about their diet and their illnesses. 
 
 This unconventional journey into the past took the team down into an ancient sewer below the town of Herculaneum. 
 
 Along with neighbouring Pompeii, it was one of the settlements buried by the Vesuvius volcanic explosion of 79AD. 
 
 In a tunnel 86m long, they unearthed what is believed to be the largest deposit of human excrement ever found in the Roman world. 
 
 Seven hundred and fifty sacks of it to be exact, containing a wealth of information. 
 
 The scientists have been able to study what foods people ate and what jobs they did, by matching the material to the buildings above, like shops and homes. 
 
 Image caption A street in Pompeii which, like Herculaneum, was covered by a volcanic eruption in 79AD 
 
 This unprecedented insight into the diet and health of ancient Romans showed that they ate a lot of vegetables. 
 
 One sample also contained a high white blood cell count, indicating, say researchers, the presence of a bacterial infection. 
 
 The sewer also offered up items of pottery, a lamp, 60 coins, necklace beads and even a gold ring with a decorative gemstone. 
 
 But it's the human remains that have most astonished the archaeologists, all going to prove that where there's muck, there's memory.
– Researchers have discovered the biggest load of crap from ancient Rome, and they're using it to determine how Romans lived 2,000 years ago. After sifting through 750 sacks of human excrement discovered in the sewers below the town of Herculaneum, scientists have deduced that Romans ate a lot of vegetables, sea urchins, fish, figs, olives, and eggs, report the BBC and Daily Mail. The waste also had a high white blood cell count, indicating a bacterial infection. "We can find out such a lot about what Romans ate by sifting through the poo and in essence it is the classic Mediterranean Diet, plenty of fish and fruit," says one of the leading researchers. Along with its neighbor Pompeii, Herculaneum was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The sewer also had pottery, coins, beads, and jewelry.