Analysis of a 15 th century faecal specimen from Bushman Rock Shelter, South Africa

Following the recovery of a desiccated faecal specimen from Bushman Rock Shelter (BRS) in Limpopo Province (South Africa), we applied a multi-proxy analytical protocol to the sample. Our results indicate that the IM of the Iron Age (c. AD 1460) Bantu-speaking individual exhibits features characteristic of a mixed forager-agro-pastoralist diet. Our analyses elucidates the ways in which modern human IMs have responded to recent dietary changes, prescription medications and environmental pollutants, providing insight into recent human IM evolution.