Archaeology of Refuse Research Papers (original) (raw)

ABSTRACT: The recent excavations of a section of the first-century CE garbage dump found on the eastern slope of the Lower City of Jerusalem (the City of David/Silwan) have provided an opportunity to conduct the first quantitative... more

ABSTRACT: The recent excavations of a section of the first-century CE garbage dump found on the eastern slope of the Lower City of Jerusalem (the City of David/Silwan) have provided an opportunity to conduct the first quantitative analysis of the relative frequencies of the various functional groups and types within a complete assemblage of chalk vessels. As our assemblage derives entirely from random garbage deposited in the Jerusalem city dump, these data may be presumed representative of the quantitative breakdown of vessel types used by Jerusalem’s population during the last decades of the Second Temple period. Our study also investigates the ratio of chalk vessels to pottery at our site, an issue of particular interest in light of the manner that contemporary Jewish ritual law related to utensils made of these two kinds of materials.

This interdisciplinary book brings together scholars who demonstrate the potential of research into waste for understanding humans, non-humans and their inter-relations. In 12 chapters the authors cover topics ranging from the... more

This interdisciplinary book brings together scholars who demonstrate the potential of research into waste for understanding humans, non-humans and their inter-relations. In 12 chapters the authors cover topics ranging from the relationship between waste and identity in early agricultural settlements to the perception of contemporary nuclear waste. Although archaeological approaches dominate the contributions, there are also chapters that represent the results of anthropological and historical research. The book is structured into three main sections that explore the relationship between waste and three domains of interest: value, social differentiation, and space. Archaeologies of Waste will interest archaeologists, anthropologists, historians and other readers intrigued by the potential of things, which were left behind, to shed light on social life.