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.

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Daniel Seib, an archaeologist, told Syracuse.com, “Each one of these privies is a little time capsule for us.”

Archaeologists discovered 11 toilets (not pictured) dating back to the mid-1800s, along with artifacts. (iStock)

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.

Construction workers are working to pave a new highway in Syracuse, New York, (not pictured) as archaeologists discover artifacts dating back hundreds of years ago. (iStock)

“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.