While the idea of digging through centuries of waste may be unpleasant for some, Jerzy Gawronski relished the chance.
In 2003, the city of Amsterdam began construction on a new subway line, presenting the perfect opportunity for Gawronski and the rest of the city’s archaeology department. They embarked on a massive excavation project on the Amstel River and unearthed thousands of items that have since been catalogued.
“Wherever you are in the world, people use water — a waterway, a canal, a river — to ditch their garbage because if you throw it in the water, it’s gone,” Gawronski told As It Happens guest host Rosemary Barton.
Archaeologists at work excavating a site on the Amstel River. (Below the Surface)
Findings from the excavations can
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