Archaeology is Rubbish

Archaeology is Rubbish is an activity about middens and helping visitors understand what they are and their importance.

Visitors will be encouraged to look through collections of clean modern rubbish to then make assumptions as to who this rubbish might have belonged to. For example, one assemblage may have gluten-free food packaging, from this we would be able to say that at least one person within the household was celiac/gluten intolerant. Visitors will be encouraged to write down their thoughts, and then compare with the answers.

There will also be information on the answer sheet that can not be found in the ‘archaeological record’ (the rubbish) e.g., this family enjoy going on walks at the weekend. Followed by thoughtful discussion about what we can and can’t find out through archaeology, and if our modern biases impacted our analysis.