You all do realize, I suppose, that not all privies leave an archaeological
footprint?  That is, a very common type of privy had no pit but a pan or
drawer or other device that rested on the ground or such, and that was
cleaned out fairly freqently and the contents disposed of...somewhere else.
 Pit toilets may actually be more of a phenomenon in urban or other dense
settlement situations (forts, for another example) where there is no easy way
to discard of the contents on a frequent basis without really upsetting your
neighbors.
 
These are just observations off the top of my head, as I am really not privy
to the literature on this subject.
 
William B. Lees
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