What is garbology in archaeology?
What is garbology in archaeology?
Garbology is the term used for the science of studying garbage and its disposal, both in the past, and in the present. Right from the time people made stone tools, garbage began to pile up-in those days it consisted of discarded tools and flakes.
What subfield of archaeology is garbology?
Professor William Rathje of the University of Arizona, who pioneered the archaeology of garbage in the 1970s and 1980s, coined the term “garbology” for this subfield of archaeology. Rathje’s work began with the study of garbage left for collection in curbside garbage cans in Tucson, Ariz.
What is the study of garbology?
Garbology is the study of modern refuse and trash as well as the use of trash cans, compactors and various types of trash can liners. As an academic discipline it was pioneered at the University of Arizona and long directed by William Rathje.
What were the contributions of the Garbage Project to archaeology?
During its 30-year run, the Garbage Project had an impact on fields beyond archaeology, including nutrition, diet and food loss, hazardous waste – including disposal of nuclear materials – and recycling, as well as landfill management.
How are garbology and archaeology related to each other?
Since garbology is the study of contemporary remains versus ancient ones, archaeologists’ ability to work across time and space is what allowed the study of garbology to develop. Garbology is the study of humans in our own lifetimes.
What is the goal of Garbology?
Garbology is the scientific study of garbage – and studying what we throw away can decrease our impact on the environment – and save our families money! The goal is not to avoid eating, or to eat every bite on our plates even after we’re full, but to observe our eating patterns and to see how we can waste less food.
Why is waste slow in municipal landfills?
In a landfill, however, food, grass clippings, and other organic material are densely packed and thus decompose with the absence of oxygen (anaerobically). For that reason, waste—both organic and inorganic—breaks down significantly slower in landfills than it would in nature.
What type of observation is Garbology?
Garbology involves the careful observation and study of the waste products produced by a population in order to learn about that population’s activities, mainly in areas such as waste disposal and food consumption.
What is Rathje’s Garbology project?
About Us. The UW Garbology Project (UWGP) is an all-volunteer organization created by students at the University of Washington. Our goal is to educate students about the intersections between archaeology, modern culture, and waste while finding ways to improve our local strategies for waste management.
What branch of anthropology is the Garbage Project?
Historical archaeologists study recent societies using material remains to complement the written record. The Garbage Project, which began in the 1970s, is an example of a historic archaeological project based in Tucson, Arizona.
What is Ethnoarchaeology How does it help the study of history?
Ethnoarchaeology aids archaeologists in reconstructing ancient lifeways by studying the material and non-material traditions of modern societies. Archaeologists can then infer that ancient societies used the same techniques as their modern counterparts given a similar set of environmental circumstances.
What is garbology in archaeology? Garbology is the term used for the science of studying garbage and its disposal, both in the past, and in the present. Right from the time people made stone tools, garbage began to pile up-in those days it consisted of discarded tools and flakes. What subfield of archaeology is garbology?…