Archaeologists uncover centuries-old toilets, artifacts beneath future highway
Construction workers are breaking ground for a new highway in Syracuse, New York, while archaeologists follow not far behind.
A team discovered 11 toilets likely dating back to the mid-1800s, local news outlet Syracuse.com reported.
Crews had sifted through composted human waste to find items that residents had apparently tossed into the toilets.
ANCIENT TOMB BELONGING TO DOCTOR WHO TREATED EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS DISCOVERED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS
Daniel Seib, an archaeologist, told Syracuse.com, "Each one of these privies is a little time capsule for us."
Teams sifted through 5-foot deep pits, finding a cow bone, a shell and a pocket watch, according to Syracuse.com.
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They also found large chunks of broken plates and a jug handle.
"These are all of the things that they held, and they used and this tells you about how they lived their lives. It’s a very personal thing. So whenever we get artifacts like this, we treat them with great respect," said Seib.
Centuries ago, before indoor plumbing, people would use outhouses separate from their homes.
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Waste workers called "night soil men" would remove feces "from privies under the cloak of darkness so that polite society would be spared from confronting its own feces," according to Waste360, a New York-headquartered company that offers sustainable waste management solutions.
The artifacts will reportedly be sent to the New York State Museum in Albany for public viewing.
Fox News Digital reached out to the New York State Museum for comment.