Don't waste the garbage! Data from some medieval and post-medieval discard pits in northern Latium (Italy)

The aim of this poster is to emphasize the informative value of refuse, not only as evidence of ancient discard practices, but also as an indicator of lifestyle and social status. It will present archaeological, archaeozoological, and - where available - botanical data from a dozen of waste pits situated in several localities in northern Latium (Central Italy). Some of the sites under examination are situated within the boundaries of Viterbo (Via di Valle Piatta and Via Zelli Pazzaglia), while others are located in smaller settlements related to a church (Tessennano), an affluent residence (Celleno Vecchio), and a castle (Graffignano), spanning from the 13th to the 16th century. Through comparative analysis of the contents of these pits, considering both chronology and context, it is possible to infer valuable insights into the lives of those who utilized these discard features, including details about their diet, related to personal preferences, religious prescriptions, as well as observations on waste management practices. This research not only highlights the advantages of combining archaeozoological and archaeobotanical data, but also emphasizes the potential of applying palynological analyses on archaeological samples, yielding information about “missing plants”, seasonality, land use and diseases in the Middle Ages.