8) What is a midden?
A midden is an Indian trash pile, made up of shellfish, broken animal bones, pottery, and arrowheads. At a salt marsh, the pile will be mostly oyster shells, because lots of oysters grow in the marsh. Since the oysters were easy to find, the Timucuas ate a lot of them. Near a fresh water river, the midden will be mostly fresh water snail shells, because the snails were easy to find. At other places the middens are made of coquina, clams, or whelks. The shells and bones of whatever the Timucuas ate went in the trash (or landfill). When tools and pottery broke, they also went in the trash pile. We learn a lot about the Timucuas by looking at their trash. We find out what animals they ate (by the bones) what kinds of bowls they made (from the pottery), and what kinds of tools they used (points, knives, and axes). If you find a midden, you can be fairly sure that Indians lived there a long time ago.
Courtesy of the E. Dale
Joyner Nature Preserve
St. Johns River Power Park, Jacksonville Electric Authority,
Florida Power and Light