Ancient Shell Middens

Torben Rick / Smithsonian Institution
April 30, 2014
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Middens pit
Torben Rick / Smithsonian Institution

Close-up of a 3,200-year-old shell midden. Native Americans used middens as trash piles, where they threw out oyster shells, animal bones, pottery fragments and other refuse. (Photo by Torben Rick / Smithsonian Institution)