Archaeologists are particularly interested in the various
processes whereby artifacts become deposited in "archaeological"
(that is documented by archaeologists) contexts. Our site on
Vigla is littered with modern trash that is in the process of
becoming physically embedded in the soil matrix and working its
way out of sight. Plastic and aluminum are the modern
equivalents of the ceramics from antiquity that provide the
basic framework for understanding the chronology of ancient
sites. Like ceramics, plastic bottles and beer cans are hardy
and will not break down easily in the soil and will surely
assist the archaeologists of the future in establishing the
chronologies of various stratigraphic levels. Moreover, the
discard of modern trash is a relatively well-understood practice
allowing archaeologists to make the easy link between the
material evidence on the ground and the human practices that
produced them. Some despositional events, however, defy
explanation. For example, we discovered a nice assemblage o