# Midden

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Old dump for domestic waste

This article is about archaeological remains, known in Spanish as "conchales". For the municipality in São Paulo, Brazil, see [Conchal](/source/Conchal). For other uses, see [Midden (disambiguation)](/source/Midden_(disambiguation)).

A closeup of a shell midden in [Santa Cruz Province, Argentina](/source/Santa_Cruz_Province%2C_Argentina)

A **midden**[a] is an old [dump](/source/Landfill) for [domestic waste](/source/Garbage).[1] It may consist of animal [bones](/source/Bone), [human excrement](/source/Feces), [botanical](/source/Botanical) material, [mollusc shells](/source/Mollusc_shell), [potsherds](/source/Potsherd), [lithics](/source/Lithic_flake) (especially [debitage](/source/Debitage)), and other [artifacts](/source/Artifact_(archaeology)) and [biofacts](/source/Biofact_(archaeology)) associated with past human occupation.

These [features](/source/Feature_(archaeology)) provide a useful resource for [archaeologists](/source/Archaeologist) to study the [diets](/source/Diet_(nutrition)) and habits of past societies. Middens with damp, [anaerobic](/source/Hypoxia_(environmental)) conditions can even preserve [organic](/source/Organic_material) 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, [sediment](/source/Sediment) 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.[2]

## Shells

The [Whaleback Shell Midden](/source/Whaleback_Shell_Midden) in [Maine](/source/Maine) resulted from oyster harvesting from 200 BCE to 1000 CE.

A **shell midden** or **shell mound** is an archaeological feature consisting mainly of [mollusc](/source/Mollusc) shells. The Danish term *køkkenmøddinger* (plural) was first used by [Japetus Steenstrup](/source/Japetus_Steenstrup) to describe shell heaps and continues to be used by some researchers. A midden, by definition, contains the debris of human activity, and should not be confused with wind- or tide-created beach mounds. Some shell middens are processing remains: areas where aquatic resources were processed directly after harvest and prior to use or storage in a distant location.

Certain shell middens are linked directly to villages, serving as designated dump sites. In other cases, the materials found in the middens are closely tied to individual houses within the village, where each household would dispose of its waste right outside their home. Regardless of their association, shell middens are highly intricate and challenging to excavate completely and accurately. The fact that they contain a detailed record of what food was eaten or processed and many fragments of [stone tools](/source/Stone_tools) and household goods makes them invaluable objects of [archaeological](/source/Archaeological) study.

Shells have a high [calcium carbonate](/source/Calcium_carbonate) content, which tends to make the middens [alkaline](/source/Alkaline). This slows the normal rate of decay caused by soil acidity, leaving a relatively high proportion of organic material (food remnants, organic tools, clothing, human remains) available for archaeologists to find.[3]

[Edward Sylvester Morse](/source/Edward_Sylvester_Morse) conducted one of the first archaeological excavations of the [Ōmori Shell Mounds](/source/%C5%8Cmori_Shell_Mounds) in [Tokyo](/source/Tokyo), Japan in 1877, which led to the discovery of a style of pottery described as "cord-marked", translated as "[Jōmon](/source/J%C5%8Dmon_pottery)", which came to be used to refer to the period of [Japanese prehistory](/source/Japanese_prehistory) when this style of pottery was produced.[4][5] Shell middens were studied in Denmark in the latter half of the 19th century. The Danish word *køkkenmødding* (kitchen mound) is now used internationally. The English word "midden" (waste mound) derives from the same Old Norse word that produced the modern Danish one.[6]

### Examples

The [Turtle Mound](/source/Turtle_Mound) shell midden, in [Florida](/source/Florida), is the largest on the US East Coast.

 Shell midden in [Kasori Shell Mound](/source/Kasori_Shell_Mound), [Chiba](/source/Chiba_(city)), [Chiba Prefecture](/source/Chiba_Prefecture) [Japan](/source/Japan)

Shell middens are found in coastal or lakeshore zones all over the world. Consisting mostly of [mollusc](/source/Mollusc) shells, they are interpreted as being the waste products of meals eaten by nomadic groups or hunting parties. Some are small examples relating to meals had by a handful of individuals, others are many metres in length and width and represent centuries of shell deposition. In [Brazil](/source/Brazil), they are known as *sambaquis*, having been created over a long period between the 6th millennium BCE and the beginning of European colonisation.

European shell middens are primarily found along the [Atlantic seaboard](/source/Atlantic_Ocean) and in [Denmark](/source/Denmark) and primarily date to the 5th millennium BCE ([Ertebølle](/source/Erteb%C3%B8lle_culture) and Early [Funnel Beaker](/source/Funnelbeaker_culture) cultures), containing the remains of the earliest Neolithisation process (pottery, cereals and domestic animals). Younger shell middens are found in [Latvia](/source/Latvia) (associated with [Comb Ware](/source/Comb_Ceramic_culture) ceramics), [Sweden](/source/Sweden) (associated with [Pitted Ware](/source/Pitted_Ware_culture) ceramics), [the Netherlands](/source/Netherlands) (associated with [Corded Ware](/source/Corded_Ware) ceramics) and [Schleswig-Holstein](/source/Schleswig-Holstein) ([Late Neolithic](/source/Late_Neolithic) and [Iron Age](/source/Iron_Age)). All these are examples where communities practised a mixed farming and hunting/gathering economy.

In 2025, [IIT Gandhinagar](/source/IIT_Gandhinagar) researchers have uncovered shell midden sites in [Kutch](/source/Kutch_district) in India, revealing hunter-gatherer communities lived there at least 5,000 years before the [Harappans](/source/Indus_Valley_Civilisation). These sites, with discarded shells and stone tools, show early coastal communities adapted to mangrove environments and relied on marine resources. This discovery challenges the idea that Kutch's urbanism was solely externally influenced by [Sindh](/source/Sindh), suggesting a gradual, locally rooted cultural evolution.[7]

On [Canada](/source/Canada)'s west coast, there are shell middens that run for more than 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) along the coast and are several meters deep.[8]

Shell middens created in coastal regions of Australia by [Indigenous Australians](/source/Indigenous_Australians) exist in [Australia](/source/Australia) today. Middens provide evidence of prior occupation and are generally protected from mining and other developments. One must exercise caution in deciding whether one is examining a midden or a beach mound. There are good examples on the [Freycinet Peninsula](/source/Freycinet_Peninsula) in Tasmania where wave action currently is combining charcoal from forest fire debris with a mix of shells into masses that storms deposit above high-water mark. Shell mounds near [Weipa](/source/Weipa%2C_Queensland) in far north Queensland that are mostly less than 2 metres (6.6 ft) high (although ranging up to 10 metres (33 ft) high) and a few tens of metres long are claimed to be middens,[9] but are in fact shell cheniers (beach ridges) re-worked by nest mound-building birds.[10] Some shell middens are regarded as sacred sites, linked to the [Dreamtime](/source/Dreamtime), such as those of the Anbarra group of the [Burarra people](/source/Burarra_people) of [Arnhem Land](/source/Arnhem_Land).[11]

In the California [San Francisco Bay Area](/source/San_Francisco_Bay_Area), the [Ohlone](/source/Ohlone) and [Coast Miwok](/source/Coast_Miwok) peoples built over 425 shell mounds over thousands of years. These mounds were used as burial sites, ceremonial places, cemeteries, and places of prayer. Some were later discovered by accident during construction, mining, or farming. The [Emeryville Shellmound](/source/Emeryville_Shellmound), located between Oakland and Berkeley, was estimated to be 60 feet high and 350 feet in diameter. It was demolished in 1924. The Huichuin mound, located in Berkeley, was 20 feet high and was the site of the first human settlement on the shores of San Francisco Bay. The [West Berkeley](/source/West_Berkeley) and [Ellis Landing](/source/Ellis_Landing) mounds measured almost 200 meters in diameter and rose 9 meters above the shoreline.[12]

Shell mounds are also credited with the creation of [tropical hardwood hammocks](/source/Tropical_hardwood_hammocks), one example being the [Otter Mound Preserve](/source/Otter_Mound_Preserve) in [Florida](/source/Florida), where shell deposits from [Calusa](/source/Calusa) natives provided flood free high areas in otherwise large watered areas.[13]

There are instances in which shell middens may have doubled as areas of ceremonial construction or ritual significance. The [Woodland period](/source/Woodland_period) [Crystal River site](/source/Crystal_River_Archaeological_State_Park) provides an example of this phenomenon.[14]

Some shell mounds, known as [shell rings](/source/Shell_ring), are circular or open arcs with a clear central area. Many are known from Japan and the southeastern United States, and at least one from South America.[15]

## Etymology and usage

See also: [Midden (disambiguation)](/source/Midden_(disambiguation))

The word is of [Scandinavian](/source/Scandinavia) via [Middle English](/source/Middle_English) derivation (from early Scandinavian; Danish: *mødding*, Swedish regional: *mödding*).[16]

The word "midden" is still in everyday use in [Scotland](/source/Scotland) and has come by extension to refer to anything that is a mess, a muddle, or chaos.[17]

The word is used by [farmers](/source/Farmers) in Britain to describe the place where farmyard [manure](/source/Manure) from cows or other animals is collected. Grants are sometimes available to protect these from rain to [avoid runoff and pollution](/source/Agricultural_wastewater_treatment).[18][19]

Squirrel midden, [Kenai National Wildlife Refuge](/source/Kenai_National_Wildlife_Refuge), Alaska

In the animal kingdom, some species establish ground [burrows](/source/Burrow), also known as middens, that are used mostly for food storage. For example, the North [American red squirrel](/source/American_red_squirrel) (*Tamiasciurus hudsonicus*) usually has one large active midden in each territory with perhaps an inactive or auxiliary midden.[20] A midden may be a regularly used [animal toilet](/source/Animal_toilet) area or [dunghill](/source/Dunghill), created by many mammals, such as the [hyrax](/source/Hyrax), and also serving as a territorial marker.[21]

[Octopus](/source/Octopus) middens are piles of debris that the octopus piles up to conceal the entrance of its den. Octopus middens are commonly made of rocks, shells, and the bones of prey, although they may contain anything the octopus finds that it can move.[22]

## See also

- [Asturian culture](/source/Asturian_culture), characterized by shell-middens

- [Crystal River Archaeological State Park](/source/Crystal_River_Archaeological_State_Park)

- [Emeryville Shellmound](/source/Emeryville_Shellmound)

- [Green Mound](/source/Green_Mound)

- [Landfill](/source/Landfill)

- [Mussel Point](/source/Mussel_Point), a megamidden in the South African West Coast

- [Packrat midden](/source/Packrat_midden)

- [Privy midden](/source/Privy_midden)

- [Tell](/source/Tell_(archaeology))

- [Tumulus](/source/Tumulus)

- [Urban archaeology](/source/Urban_archaeology)

- [Waste management in Australia#Pre-European settlement](/source/Waste_management_in_Australia#Pre-European_settlement)

- [West Berkeley Shellmound](/source/West_Berkeley_Shellmound)

- [Whaleback Shell Midden](/source/Whaleback_Shell_Midden)

- [Yachats, Oregon](/source/Yachats%2C_Oregon)

- [Marpole Midden](/source/Marpole_Midden)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Also known as a **kitchen midden** or **shell heap**.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Brinton, DG (1866). "Artificial Shell-deposits of the United States". *Reports*. Washington: [Smithsonian Institution](/source/Smithsonian_Institution).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Stein, Julie (2000). *Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory: The Archaeology of San Juan Island*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Whaleback Shell Midden"](http://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/history/whaleback/index.shtml). Retrieved 11 May 2006.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Hall1988_5-0)** John Whitney Hall (1988). [*The Cambridge History of Japan*](https://books.google.com/books?id=A3_6lp8IOK8C&pg=PA61). Cambridge University Press. p. 59. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-521-22352-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-22352-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Keiji Imamura. ["Collections of Morse from The Shell Mounds of Omori"](http://umdb.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/DPastExh/publish_db/2000dm2k/english/02/02-03.html). *Digital Museum, University of Tokyo*. Retrieved 4 September 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Online Etymology Dictionary"](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=midden&searchmode=none). *www.etymonline.com*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Kutch housed hunter-gatherer communities 5,000 years before Harappans arrived: Study"](https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/kutch-housed-hunter-gatherer-communities-5000-years-before-harappans-arrived-study-10048499/). *The Indian Express*. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Stein, Julie (1992). *Deciphering a Shell Midden*. Academic Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-12-664730-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-12-664730-3).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Bailey, Geoff; Chappell, John; Cribb, Roger (1994). "The Origin of 'Anadara' Shell Mounds at Weipa, North Queensland, Australia". *Archaeology in Oceania*. **29** (2): 69–80. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1002/arco.1994.29.2.69](https://doi.org/10.1002%2Farco.1994.29.2.69). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [40386985](https://www.jstor.org/stable/40386985).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Stone, Tim (31 December 1995). "Shell mound formation in coastal northern Australia". *Marine Geology*. **129** (1–2): 77–100. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[1995MGeol.129...77S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995MGeol.129...77S). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/0025-3227(95)00101-8](https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0025-3227%2895%2900101-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Griffiths, Billy (2018). *Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia*. Black Inc. p. 164.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["There Were Once More Than 425 Shellmounds in the Bay Area. Where Did They Go?"](https://www.kqed.org/news/11704679/there-were-once-more-than-425-shellmounds-in-the-bay-area-where-did-they-go). kqed.org. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Otter Mound Preserve"](http://www.colliergov.net/Index.aspx?page=2888). Colliergov.net. Retrieved 24 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** [Pluckhahn, Thomas J.](/source/Thomas_J._Pluckhahn); [Thompson, Victor D.](/source/Victor_D._Thompson); Cherkinsky, Alexander (2015). "The temporality of shell-bearing landscapes at Crystal River, Florida". *Journal of Anthropological Anthropology*. **37**: 19–36. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.jaa.2014.10.004](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jaa.2014.10.004).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Lawrence, David R. and Hilda L. Wrightson. ["Late Archaic-Early Woodland Period Shell Rings of the Southeastern United States Coast: A Bibliographic Introduction"](http://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1191&context=archanth_books). University of South Carolina. Retrieved 10 December 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** [*Oxford English Dictionary*](/source/Oxford_English_Dictionary) (3rd ed.), 2003.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["Annaker's midden n. a mess, a shambles"](https://www.scotslanguage.com/articles/view/id/4494). *Scots Language Centre*. Retrieved 15 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["Manure/Slurry Storage"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120124191440/http://scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Options/Manurestorage). Scottish Government. Archived from [the original](http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Options/Manurestorage) on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2011. Investment under this storage and handling Option may include: action to minimise the volume of clean water getting into manure or slurry stores, including the installation of covers for slurry storage facilities and middens

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["Roofed Midden benefits Lake District Farm"](http://www.jennifermackenzie.co.uk/2008/04/02_booth.html). Thanks to a grant from Farming Connect Cumbria the Booths were able to roof the slurry midden, probably trebling its capacity by excluding the rainwater, as well as making necessary repairs to the midden itself to prevent possible run-off to a nearby beck. The midden can now provide up to 10 weeks' storage for the slurry.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Alaska Department of Fish & Game: North American Red Squirrel"](https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=redsquirrel.main). [Alaska Department of Fish and Game](/source/Alaska_Department_of_Fish_and_Game). Retrieved 24 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Chase, B.M.; Meadows, M.E.; Scott, L.; Thomas, D.S.G.; Marais, E.; Sealy, J.; [Reimer, P.J.](/source/Paula_Reimer) (2009). "A record of rapid Holocene climate change preserved in hyrax middens from southwestern Africa". *Geology*. **37** (8): 703–6. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2009Geo....37..703C](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009Geo....37..703C). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1130/G30053A.1](https://doi.org/10.1130%2FG30053A.1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Ambrose, Richard F. (1983). "Midden formation by octopuses: The role of biotic and abiotic factors". *Marine Behaviour and Physiology*. **10** (2): 137–144. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/10236248309378613](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F10236248309378613). Published online: 22 Jan 2009

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Shell midden sites](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Shell_midden_sites).

Look up ***[midden](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/midden)*** or ***[middens](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/middens)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

- Hidefumi Ogawa (小川英文). ["The excavations of Lal-lo shell middens (in the Philippines)"](http://www.tufs.ac.jp/ts/personal/kidlat/Lallo/IntroLalloReport01.htm). [Tokyo University of Foreign Studies](/source/Tokyo_University_of_Foreign_Studies). Retrieved 19 October 2008.

Authority control databases: National Japan

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