Table 1.

Contamination experiment sample extracted and analyzed in this study.

Sample code	Weight (mg)	Archaeological site [identifier]	Age
Dental Calculus A	50	Rupert’s Valley, St Helena. SK358 (8786)	Mid-nineteenth century
Dental Calculus B	81.9	Rupert’s Valley, St Helena. SK520 (8836)	Mid-nineteenth century
Dental Calculus C	39.8	Rupert’s Valley, St Helena. SK245 (8753)	Mid-nineteenth century
Limescale	102.1	Hungate, York. Subsampled from S Bend drain	Early-nineteenth century
Egg Shell	89.8	Lot 13898, Kakesio 1–6, Lower Laetoli Beds, Tanzania	~ 3.85 to 4.3 mya
Blank	N/A	Extraction blank control