Editing Midden (section)

{{short description|Old dump for domestic waste}}
{{About|archaeological remains, known in Spanish as "conchales"|the municipality in São Paulo, Brazil|Conchal|other uses|Midden (disambiguation)}}
{{use dmy dates |date=October 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2019}} 
[[File:Conchero al sur de Puerto Deseado.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|A closeup of a shell midden in [[Santa Cruz Province, Argentina]]]]

A '''midden'''{{efn|Also known as a '''kitchen midden''' or '''shell heap'''.}} is an old [[landfill|dump for domestic waste]].<ref>{{Cite news| last = Brinton | first = DG | title =Artificial Shell-deposits of the United States | work = Reports | publisher= [[Smithsonian Institution]] | location=Washington | year=1866}}</ref> It may consist of animal [[bone|bones]], [[feces|human excrement]], [[botanical]] material, [[mollusc shell]]s, [[potsherd]]s, [[Lithic flake|lithics]] (especially [[debitage]]), and other [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifact]]s and [[ecofact]]s associated with past human occupation.

These [[Feature (archaeology)|features]] provide a useful resource for [[archaeologist]]s who wish to study the [[diet (nutrition)|diet]]s and habits of past societies. Middens with damp, [[Hypoxia (environmental)|anaerobic]] conditions can even preserve [[Organic material|organic]] 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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stein |first=Julie  |title=Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory: The Archaeology of San Juan Island |year=2000}}</ref>