M.A.P. Garbology Activity:

Talkin’ bout Trash to Track down the Truth

Excerpt from the poem “Garbage” by A.R. Ammons (1993)

garbage has to be the poem of our time becausegarbage is spiritual, believable enoughto get our attention, getting in the way, pilingup, stinking …what else deflects us from the errors of our illusionary

ways, not a temptationto trashlessness, that is too far off, and,anyway, unimaginable, unrealistic …(for if you dugsomething up to make room for something to putin, what about the something dug up) …offerings to the godsof garbage, of retribution, of realisticexpectation, the deities of unpleasantnecessities

I apologize if you hate poetry. I know, I know, it’s summer! But I do think that this poem gets at many of the ideas that propel garbology as a science. What do you think garbology is? What does this poem mean to you in relation to it?

So, now that we’ve kinda talked about it, what exactly is GARBOLOGY, anyway?

Literally, the word translates to exactly what it is – the study of garbage, a branch of archaeology. In 1973, scientists at the University of Arizona founded the Garbage Project, where they picked up trash and analyzed it to help determine the tendencies of a culture. This is similar to the way that archaeologists examine fossils and artifacts in order to learn more about the way people behaved long ago.

Why garbage, though? That’s disgusting!

Lorraine DiCicco writes: “The garbologist believes that unlike most artifacts that cultures leave behind that are ‘little more than self-aggrandizing advertisements,’ garbage is ‘a kind of tattle-tale, setting the record straight.’ In short, garbage never lies.”

(Except garbologists!)

The Garbage Project helped instill a belief that “what people have owned – and thrown away – can speak more eloquently, informatively, and truthfully about the lives they lead than they themselves ever may” (DiCicco). Why do you think that is? Can garbage ever be “eloquent”? Do you think it’s accurate to say that garbage never lies?

When examining garbage, what do you think would be some

important things to look for?

What are some positive aspects of the garbology method?

• It can provide you with information otherwise unavailable – pollen remnants stuck to an old diaper, food remains, local plant traces, broken tools.

• You can better speculate about the lives of the general population/everyday people, as opposed to just the royal or the wealthy.

• It’s similar to paleontology in its realism. We find lots of garbage the way it was left and unintentionally preserved. Where we might find dinosaur bones from when a dinosaur got stuck in a bog and died, future garbologists may look at soda cans from a dried-up creek bed.

What are some flaws of this method?

• Well, for starters, it can definitely get a little messy!

• Garbology does not always provide conclusive evidence. Although it does seem more believable than the study of intentionally preserved artifacts, garbologists have to be wary of using faulty logic or drawing any definite conclusions, the same way archaeologists must be careful about their assumptions.

• There has been debate about whether or not garbology is ethical. Why do you think that is? Is archaeology ethical?

Now that we’ve talked about it…let’s get down and dirty.

Pretend you are a garbologist from the year 2950. Try to look at the trash as though it is foreign to you, and speculate about the things it could mean. For example, if you see a Red Bull energy drink can, you might wonder: Hm. So could these humans not generate any of their own energy through the nutritional process? Did they have to artifically manufacture it and then consume it? What other food evidence could I look for to support this hypothesis?

1. Divide into groups of 4 or 5. Each group will receive one bag of trash. If you so desire, don a pair of plastic gloves.

2. Designate 2 students from each group to carefully remove the trash from the bag. REMEMBER: These are valuable artifacts! You must be extremely careful not to damage anything!

3. Determine categories of trash – for example, a) household items, b) food clues, c) paper, etc. Sort the trash into these categories.

4. Write a complete inventory of everything in the bag – all trash can be equally important! Try not to leave out any details, especially dates, names, or other markings.

5. Discuss specific ideas about the group or culture of people that created the trash.

Questions: How do you know this? What makes you think that? Can you use evidence to support your claim? List the trash clues that led you to it.

Is there any trash evidence that counters your predictions? What happens if there are conflicting ideas?

For example: Students conclude there is a baby in the house because of the large number of baby-wipe cartons.

I might argue – perhaps the baby was a niece or nephew there for a visit.

Students could then say: “Well, there are enough cartons in the trash to say that the baby was in the house for a long period of time. Also, we found baby food jars and a tag from a children’s clothing store.”

Based on your experience in this activity, how/why do you think real archaeologists sometimes make broad or even false assumptions about ancient civilizations?