Midden

<p>A midden is an old <a href="/facts/Landfill/7K4efGgz">dump for domestic waste</a>. It may consist of animal <a href="/facts/Bone/pCU37jBe">bones</a>, <a href="/facts/Feces/r9HDKB8G">human excrement</a>, <a href="/facts/Botanical/PaIRoxnb">botanical</a> material, <a href="/facts/Mollusc_shell/v7rRM9nw">mollusc shells</a>, <a href="/facts/Potsherd/5axlcVQ4">potsherds</a>, <a href="/facts/Lithic_flake/4RLPRpX2">lithics</a> (especially <a href="/facts/Debitage/Wmv1I1kc">debitage</a>), and other <a href="/facts/Artifact_(archaeology)/SftLTFf5">artifacts</a> and <a href="/facts/Ecofact/kH5LhvK5">ecofacts</a> associated with past human occupation.
</p><p>These <a href="/facts/Feature_(archaeology)/MQ0rM6A7">features</a> provide a useful resource for <a href="/facts/Archaeologist/K3Q5P38R">archaeologists</a> who wish to study the <a href="/facts/Diet_(nutrition)/7qzDHpop">diets</a> and habits of past societies. Middens with damp, <a href="/facts/Hypoxia_(environmental)/VSSWPNlF">anaerobic</a> conditions can even preserve <a href="/facts/Organic_material/t17tVCvk">organic</a> remains in deposits as the debris of daily life are tossed on the pile. Each individual toss will contribute a different mix of materials depending upon the activity associated with that particular toss. During the course of deposition sedimentary material is deposited as well. Different mechanisms, from wind and water to animal digs, create a matrix which can also be analysed to provide seasonal and climatic information. In some middens individual dumps of material can be discerned and analysed.
</p>

Midden open-in-new

Midden