Archaeologists uncover centuries-old toilets, artifacts beneath future highway

Construction workers dig the foundations for a new highway in Syracuse, New York, while archaeologists keep up.

The team discovered 11 toilets that likely date back to the mid-19th century, local news outlet Syracuse.com reported.

The team searched through composted human waste to find items that residents had apparently flushed down toilets.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED THE ANCIENT TOMB OF A DOCTOR WHO TREATED EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS

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

Archaeologists discovered 11 latrines (not pictured) dating back to the mid-19th century, along with artifacts. (iStock)

The teams searched the 5-foot-deep pits, finding cow boneshell and pocket watch, according to Syracuse.com.

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They also found large pieces of broken plates and a jug handle.

Construction workers work to pave a new highway in Syracuse, New York (not pictured) as archaeologists uncover artifacts hundreds of years old. (iStock)

“These are all things that they held and used, and it 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 a lot of respect,” Seib said.

Centuries ago, before indoor plumbing, people used outdoor buildings separate from their homes.

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Waste workers known as “night soil men” would remove feces “from toilets under the cover of darkness so that decent society is spared having to deal with its own excrement,” according to Waste360, a New York-based company that offers sustainable waste management solutions.