Archaeologists solve murder from 700 years ago — using poop

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last updated 13 January 2015

Cangrande della Scala, the Verona man to whom part of Dante's Divine Comedy is dedicated, died at age 38 in 1329, shortly after winning control over northern Italy's Treviso. Thanks to a new analysis of della Scala's mummy's fecal matter, archaeologists may finally know just how he died.

Della Scala's fecal matter revealed that he was poisoned with foxglove, a heart-stopping plant, Discovery News reports. Researchers from the University of Pisa published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science, noting that it was previously believed della Scala became ill by "drinking from a polluted spring."

Discovery News notes that della Scala's victory at Treviso was "the last act" in his attempt to control all of northern Italy's Veneto region. The archaeologists wrote in the study that while they can't "totally" rule out the possibility of "accidental intoxication," murder is a much more likely explanation for his death.