My 'ancient' discovery was just a 90s soda can

Was on a volunteer dig last summer. Found something metallic in the ground. Got super excited. Called it a possible artifact. After brushing off the dirt, saw a soda logo. Dated back to 1998. The whole crew laughed at me. Now I think about how stuff becomes history. That can is older than some kids today. People lived without apps back then. Digging up recent trash feels funny. But it's all part of the story.

3 comments

3 Comments

mitchell.iris2mo ago

What do you think that can says about the person who dropped it back then? It's a tiny snapshot of a regular day in 1998... I wonder what stuff we leave now will seem just as weird to people digging it up later.

the_jade2mo ago

That 1998 can makes me think about my old flip phone from 2005. It's just a piece of tech now, but in 50 years, it might tell a story about how we talked to each other. People digging it up later might think we carried these things everywhere like talismans. Our coffee cups and takeout containers could seem like signs of a rushed, on-the-go culture. Each bit of trash is a tiny record of a normal day, even if we don't see it that way now. It's strange to imagine our everyday stuff becoming someone else's mystery.

ericmason2mo ago

Just looks like trash to me, @mitchell.iris.