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Circumalpine lakeside settlements have been declared Unesco world heritage in 2011. Their importance is mainly due to waterlogged preservation of organic material and hence the outstanding potential of these sites for performing detailed archaeological studies of prehistoric societies. However, the details of the taphonomic processes (depositional environment, development of anoxia, lateral or vertical displacement of objects, etc.) have rarely been studied. Consequently, interpretations based on find distributions or comparisons of find densities remain difficult. Zurich-Parkhaus Opera is a large-scale excavation of waterlogged Neolithic settlement deposits. Eight settlement phases of the late fourth and early third millennium BC were documented and dated using dendrochronology as well as six settlement layers, two of which showed excellent organic preservation. Based on a large number of sediment samples we conducted a multidisciplinary study in taphonomic processes influencing these layers. Our results indicate that a multi-indicator approach can provide detailed information on formation processes of waterlogged cultural layers. We found that 1) aquatic invertebrate remains and geotechnical calculations gave evidence for continuous shallow water conditions and eutrophic/anoxic deposition environment during occupation of the site. 2) Position and distribution of finds and loam patches indicate that disposal of household waste was focused on middens, which were still intact. 3) High variability in sediment contents (both spatially and in terms of state of preservation) is due to different factors such as oxygen depletion, deposition rate, erosion and enrichment of different materials, while all factors can affect each other resulting in highly complex formation processes.

The micromorphological analysis of faecal remains started with the investigation of hyena excrements in connection with cave-sediment studies. In an archaeological context, coprolites of domestic pigs are reported rarely - mostly with uncertain attribution. This apparent lack of pig excrements in archaeological sediments is probably a consequence of the animals' grubbing activities in themselves, of pig husbandry practices and of the remarkable variability of omnivore excrements. Carnivore excrements are characterized by a highly phosphatic, cemented, optically isotropic, strongly autofluorescent groundmass with an undifferentiated b-fabric. Excrements of Canis familiaris are reported regularly in various archaeological contexts. Because of great diversity of human diets, a general description of human excrements proves difficult, especially because well preserved excrement remains seem rare in archaeological contexts. More experimental and interdisciplinary studies will help to increase knowledge about excrements and postdepositional processes in the archaeological record.

A number of parasites have been detected in micromorphological thin sections. In this chapter, the most frequently encountered and characteristic types of helminth eggs found in thin sections of archaeological sediments from Central Europe are presented: whipworm (Trichuris sp.), hairworm (Capillaria sp.) and roundworm (Ascaris sp.). The colour of parasite eggs in micromorphological thin sections is evaluated by observation in PPL and XPL. In the discussed study, eggs from mineralized coprolites rich in phosphatic matrix of dry sediments as well as eggs found in phosphatic matrix of waterlogged sediments are presented. Even though parasite eggs are time and again identified in micromorphological studies of archaeological sediments, there are only few systematic searches for ova. For palaeoparasitology, micromorphology can only produce limited and rather random observations. However, micromorphology allows for the detection of parasite eggs in circumstances where they are unexpected and can thus help to initiate palaeoparasitological investigations by conventional techniques.

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Shape, preservation, embedded components and groundmass characteristics allow distinction between herbivore excrements and the coprolites of omnivores or carnivores. Herbivore dung remains may occur in a wide range of onsite archaeological features but are also known from offsite situations. Fresh herbivore excrements are usually porous, loosely packed and consist mainly of poorly digested to undigested plant fragments, which are sometimes embedded in a brown to dark brown amorphous organic groundmass. Ruminant and horse excrements mainly consist of poorly digested plant fragments. Rodent excrements can be found in archaeological sediments. Because of the high organic content of herbivore excrements, dried ruminant dung is an excellent fuel, used since prehistoric times and still in use today, mainly in dry regions. Stabling or enclosure sediments have a lower porosity than equivalent unaffected excrements and show an impact of sediment agglomerates, mineral grains and other components due to trampling processes.