Rome's Mountain of Ancient Garbage

YouTube ^ | June 25, 2024 | Garrett Ryan (as toldinstone)

[mewzilla]

One man’s trash is an archeologist’s treasure! 😀

[SunkenCiv]

Old Oscar the Grouch lunchboxes...

There’s an archaeological specialty called Garbology, they find odd things like old newspapers in such good shape they can still easily be read. But think of all the things that we’d recognize that (given enough time) would wind up puzzling, like Etch-a-Sketch, old yo-yos, the hula hoop...

[SunkenCiv]

The Vesuvius of Garbage!

Then, 1496 years later, excavation at the site discovers a buried city...

[Empire_of_Liberty]

As do I!

I imagine future archeologists finding them, however, with no method of power (or even a cord) and nothing to rotate the plate. Perhaps they will place razor blades inside: to see if they stay sharper, or fruit: to see if it stays more fresh.

It amazes me that the human mind has obtained the same moments of brilliance throughout its history and likely before it.

[SunkenCiv]

And thousands of years from now, the ritualistic removal of power cords from disposed microwaves will puzzle archaeologists.

[SunkenCiv]

This hill made entirely of ancient Roman jars was simply a garbage dump to the people of the time.

It's been the site of jousting knights and frolicking revelers in carnivale celebrations. Garibaldi defended Rome from the top of it, while wine cooled in caves under it. It has stood in for Golgotha in passion plays, and hosted picnicking lovers for generations. But this hill is not one of Rome's famous seven sisters, it is, instead, an ancient garbage heap.

For more than 250 years the ancient Romans methodically piled up broken terracotta amphorae, or oil jars, creating Monte Testaccio.

Also known as Monte dei Cocci (literally meaning "Mount of Shards"), the mountain of jars is located right next to the ancient Tiber River port, and the Horrea Galbae warehouses, which would have been used to store imported goods like olive oil.

Wikipedia (public domain) | Rome, Italy | Atlas Obscura