![]() ![]() In all cases, shell middens are extremely complex and very difficult to excavate fully and exactly. Each household would dump its garbage directly outside the house. ![]() In other middens, the material is directly associated with a house in the village. Some shell middens are directly associated with villages, as a designated village dump site. Some shell middens are processing remains: areas where aquatic resources were processed directly after harvest and prior to use or storage in a distant location. A midden, by definition, contains the debris of human activity, and should not be confused with wind- or tide-created beach mounds. The Danish term køkkenmøddinger (plural) was first used by Japetus Steenstrup to describe shell heaps and continues to be used by some researchers. The Whaleback Shell Midden in Maine resulted from oyster harvesting from 200 BCE to 1000 CE.Ī shell midden or shell mound is an archaeological feature consisting mainly of mollusk shells. In some middens individual dumps of material can be discerned and analysed. Different mechanisms, from wind and water to animal digs, create a matrix which can also be analysed to provide seasonal and climatic information. During the course of deposition sedimentary material is deposited as well. Each individual toss will contribute a different mix of materials depending upon the activity associated with that particular toss. Middens with damp, anaerobic conditions can even preserve organic remains in deposits as the debris of daily life are tossed on the pile. These features provide a useful resource for archaeologists who wish to study the diets and habits of past societies. A closeup of a shell midden in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina.Ī midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation. ![]()
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