Cleanliness is next to deadliness
Archaeologists see dead people. Mostly they're a bit on the boney side, although any basic textbook on forensic archaeology will provide plenty of pictures of advanced putrification and the suchlike.

While working on a medieval excavation (the site dated to the medieval period - I didn't travel back in time in my DeLorean to go digging) we began to uncover quite a few graves. This wasn't unexpected; we were near a churchyard. It's a pain in the ass though, especially since the laws have changed and a Home Office licence is needed to remove remains.

There we were, trowels in hand, carefully cleaning back the soil to expose the coffin staining. Gently, millimetre by careful millimetre, we scraped away the earth from the white bones. We photographed, we drew and we measured. Bone by bone we lifted them from the ground. We passed them carefully over to the site assistants to be bagged and tagged. As I handed over the skull I noticed what was probably some brain tissue clinging to the inside.

Now, archaeological sites are not known for their facilities. We tend to have a lorry container to store tools and a container of water - if we're lucky - and a rancid portaloo. Still I had expected that some basic hygiene would be in place, which is why I found it difficult to finish my lunch when I noticed the site assistant, who had been poking at the fleshy inside of the skull, was merrily tucking into his sandwiches with filthy hands that he hadn't washed all day...
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 6 Mar 2008, 9:37, 3 replies)

Reminds me of my grandad
In the Scottish Agricultural Museum at Ingliston, there's an old photo of farmworkers in the 1920s, one of whom is my grandfather, outside a bothy.

One of them is holding a pot of potatoes, and is mashing them with his boot!

OK, it's a posed photo, but it wouldn't surprise me if they'd actually done this. He once confirmed that they did keep porridge in the dresser drawer.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Thu 6 Mar 2008, 9:47, closed)

one man's medieval brains
is another man's mid-morning snack

Or something.
(frankspencer, Thu 6 Mar 2008, 9:52, closed)

What else did he eat?
Fava beans and a nice chianti?


fhfhfhfhfhfhfhfhfhfhfhfhfhfhfhfh!
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Thu 6 Mar 2008, 10:12, closed)