What is in a midden?
A 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.
What is a midden and why is it important?
Middens are an archive of ancient coastal lifeways and environments. In shell middens, bone artifacts and food remains are preserved, as well as ceramics. These materials, when combined with the shell and botanical remains, provide information about diet, technology, and seasons of site occupation.
Why are middens important?
Why are middens important? Freshwater shell middens provide valuable information about past Aboriginal economy and land use. They are one of the few sources of information about Aboriginal use of lakes, rivers and swamps. Although mussel shells are fragile, they often survive longer than animal bones and plant remains.
What was the purpose of shell middens?
Shell middens provide valuable information about Aboriginal use of the coast and can show changes in diet, behaviour, activities and settlement over the last 12,000 years. One of the most important features of midden places is that the shell can easily be dated using the radiocarbon method of dating.
What is midden soil?
Broadly speaking, shell middens are anthropogenic soils found in marine, lacustrine, or riverine settings. They were created by hunter-gatherer communities (more often than not), through the deposition of invertebrate organisms’ hard shells and other substances.
What does midden mean in geography?
A midden (or kitchen midden) is the archaeological term for trash or garbage heap.
How old are shell middens?
The oldest known Aboriginal shell midden place on the Victorian coast is nearly 12,000 years old.
Where do middens occur?
Middens are shell mounds built up over hundreds and often thousands of years as a result of countless meals of shellfish. They are found along ocean coasts, estuaries, rivers and inland lakes, and primarily contain mature specimens of edible shellfish species.
How are middens formed?
Middens are places where food remains, such as shellfish and animal bones, ash and charcoal from fires, and broken or worn-out tools were thrown away, dumped or buried. Some middens contain Māori artefacts such as fish hooks, adzes and sharp stone flakes made from a variety of stone including volcanic glass.
What can middens tell us?
Which is the best description of a midden?
A midden (or kitchen midden) is the archaeological term for trash or garbage heap. Middens are a type of archaeological feature, consisting of localized patches of dark-colored earth and concentrated artifacts which resulted from the deliberate discard of refuse, food remains, and domestic materials such as broken and exhausted tools and crockery.
What can you find in a midden pit?
Middens hold food remains—including pollen and phytoliths as well as the food themselves—and pottery or pans that contained them. They include exhausted stone and metal tools; organic matter including charcoal suitable for radiocarbon dating; and sometimes burials and evidence of ritual behaviors.
What do you find in a rodent midden?
Rodent middens are caches of objects including edible plants, insect and vertebrate remains, small pebbles, and feces, brought to the den site for a variety of reasons including food, curiosity, and den protection; then, they are cemented into black tarry masses by rodent urine.
What can be preserved in a midden environment?
In some cases, midden environments allow for excellent preservation of organic materials such as wood, basketry, and plant food. A midden can allow the archaeologist to reconstruct past human behaviors, things such as relative status and wealth and subsistence behaviors.