History at Night in Lyons

The Museum of Wayne County History, 21 Butternut Street in Lyons, will present 'Garbage as Artifacts: Rubbish and Archaeology' on Thursday, November 10, at 7 p.m. This presentation, which is part of the museum's History at Night series, will be given by Marjorie Torelli, Public Relations and Education Coordinator for the Western Finger Lakes Solid Waste Management Authority  Ms. Torelli also served as curator for the museum's current exhibition, 'Did You Really Throw That Away?'

Both the exhibition and the lecture focus on discarded items as archaelogical artifacts. Through the ages, archaeologists have examined the middens, or trash heaps, of prior civilizations. The items people discarded have helped researchers determine what foods were eaten, how food was stored, what tools were used and what materials were used for clothing. Contemporary discards can also tell a great deal about present-day society.

In 1992, William Rathje sent shock waves through both the world of archeology and the world of waste management with his book titled 'Rubbish! The Archaeology of Garbage.' He and his students had been studying people's trash as if it were the trash from the ancient city of Troy. His discoveries about what people were throwing away surprised solid waste managers and sociologists alike.

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