Dear Colleagues, Next year will be the last of a three year project in the studiyng of 350 cesspits/privies from four Dutch river towns, Deventer, Dordrecht, Nijmegen and Tiel. The glass and ceramics are being studied in a systematic order with the aim to start a general finds- catalogue for the Netherlands. The metal, tiles, claypipes and botanical material are being studied aswell. The leather, textiles and wood will come later. The range of dating is from 1180 AD up to the 1st WW. All together 50 cubic meters of finds! We hope to have the publication finished by early 1997. In Holland privies are built within the house regurarly, in the rear the watercellars are situated or it is a place for craft-activity. Many cesspits are nevertheless built in the rear 'garden' or 'plaats'. Sometimes houses have two cesspits, one in the house for the general waste, the other in the rear for kitchen waste. Sometimes old cellars are used as privies (Dordrecht) and in constant use for 3 centuries without emptiying them. The size of these cellars is the size of a normal floor in a town house, 6 x 12 x 4 m!. to keep you informed, privies smell but produce the best material! many regards Michiel Bartels ROB Amersfoort NL