Midden
West Highland Museum

Whoever knew rubbish could be so revealing? This Mesolithic midden, or Stone-Age rubbish heap, is able to provide archaeologists with an array of insights into past peoples.  

Middens can contain clues about past human diet, the environment, and even social and cultural information. This kitchen waste came from Cnoc Sligeach, an archaeological site on Oronsay in the Inner Hebrides.  

It contains pebble limpet scoops – pebbles used to scoop the meat from limpets, and a range of other objects, including bone, antler, two large oyster shells, and other shells in assorted sizes.