Chester Amphitheatre Project Blog

This coprolite was recovered from a rubbish pit that was just outside the first amphitheatre in the late 1st or early 2nd century AD. A preliminary examination under the microscope has confirmed that the coprolite contains many small fragments of bone. The presence of these fragments and the size and the general shape (both blunt and "tailed" ends survive) show it to be from a carnivore, almost certainly a dog. Thus it appears probable that a dog defecated here, possibly after scavenging on the numerous bones thrown into the pit.