Interesting point.  Based on my own house and discards, looking at the
contents of the house (including many, many family hand me downs, as well as
the results of tons of antique shopping) would say a completely different
thing about me than what I discard.

I've always felt that the picture we provide of a site is only our best
guess and might provide a lot of amusement for the prior residents.

Lucy Wayne
SouthArc, Inc.

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan
Walter
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 12:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: query: discards

June 20, 2012

Happy Summer everyone.

I read this yesterday:

"Thought of the day:  'The things people discard tell more about them than
the things they keep.'  Really?  We saw this saying in a magazine and aren't
sure we agree.  Do you?"
    Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles Volume 38 Number 11, July 2012: page
129.

As a historic archaeologist, I often wonder if I am misinterpreting the
site's inhabitants because of the garbage - artifacts - that I have on hand
to interpret, especially when the written record is sparce and there are no
descendants to give insight.

I may do a brief caveat in a report, but I wonder how or if you all out
there address this skewed version of the at times very specific individuals
we claim to understand just from their garbage.

S. Walter