Basic Archaeology: What's a Midden?
People throw away things because those things aren't important or because the people have too much of those things already. By sifting through the garbage pile of a civilization, archaeologists can find out what was important to those people (or what they had too much of).
Did they wear certain clothes? What kinds of food did they eat? What kind of tools did they use or throw away? Answers to all these questions can be found by sifting through a midden.
One person's trash could be another person's treasure. |
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Why
is this important? Sometimes, garbage is all that's left of
a people. Especially if that people has been conquered by
others, the buildings, tools, and food was probably consumed
or destroyed long ago. A people's trash, especially if it
was also trash to the invaders, might be left alone,
enabling archaeologists to discover more about a people who
left few clues to what they liked and didn't like.
It
could also be possible to find out more about a conquered
people by searching the midden of their conquerers. Some
invaders, not really knowing what's valuable to the people
they're conquering, might very well throw away things that
are extremely valuable. It is left to archaeologists to find
these things and piece together the life stories of people
long since conquered.
Social Studies for Kids
copyright 2002–2024
David White