Middens

Archaeologists can discover a lot about ancient people by sifting through their garbage. “Midden” is the term that archaeologists use for an ancient trash heap, where all sorts of unwanted objects, from animal bones to broken dishes, were tossed. Some middens served a single household; others were created for entire communities. The contents provide invaluable information about prehistoric peoples, including the kinds of tools and utensils they used and the foods they ate.

- Louise Chipley Slavicek

Shell middens,which consist mainly of the remains of discarded shellfish, are a special type. Archaeologists have excavated them along coastlines, rivers, and other places where oysters, clams, and other edible shellfish live. These ancient heaps provide important clues a