Archaeology of Modern Pollution

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Post-medieval Archaeology and Pollution", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Pollution as part of archaeological sites does not necessarily have to be part of the primary research question or period under study. It can also be part of the taphonomic processes that occur after the site has been abandoned by its former inhabitants, while excavations are taking place there, and when it eventually becomes a site of interest to visitors. This paper addresses modern waste and its impact on the environment through case studies at various sites in Central Europe (Austria). Since there is almost no place where trash is not part of the upper soil layers, it is also part of many archaeological excavations and investigations. In the case studies presented, different sources of waste are explored: From a site on the edge of a modern settlement that was used as an unofficial garbage dump to waste left by visitors.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Post-medieval Archaeology and Pollution   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

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Contact(s): Nicole Haddow