1) The review paper produced is the first of its kind and summarizes the topic of dung use by humans in the archaeological record both as a global phenomenon and from a multi-animal species perspective, thus providing a state-of-the-art source on which future research can build. The review offers working protocols for dung identification through rapid screening in the field and more precise methods in post-excavation analysis and hopefully will increase awareness among the archaeological community worldwide to the importance of dung as a secondary product.
2) The experimental work is a major contribution to our understanding of the formation processes of different dung proxies in construction materials and will serve as a reference source for the study of such archaeological features. It provides original information that can be applied to the study of architectonic features and artifacts that were constructed with dung worldwide. High-resolution scans of the thin sections will be available online through an open access repository.
3) The archaeological research conducted provided us with new information on construction technology, activity areas, and human-animal interactions in unique environmental conditions. Furthermore, this work added to a growing list of sites where dung use has been studied and its presence or absence detected. Finally, it contributes to the discussion on dung use in relation to the level of human interaction with animals, and the environment in which they live.
The project had a positive impact on the academic training of the ER and on the transfer of knowledge between the ER and the hosting research group. Besides the publications resulting from this project, the ER has established herself as a leading researcher in the field and has secured a prestigious 3-year position funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung zur Fördermaßnahme (BMBF) as a principal investigator at the LMU, Munich. The ER trained further in phytolith analysis but also trained lab members in dung spherulites analysis. In addition, through her joint work, the ER contributed to creating a network between her hosting institute and researchers in Germany, England, Israel and Jordan.
Finally, through the study of a topic which is always a cause for giggles, the ER managed, through formal and informal dissemination and communication on social media, to create interest and spark conversation on dung, an often underestimated material when studying the transition to agrarian economies, yet indispensable in daily life as fuel, fertilizer and as a construction material.
