Construction workers are building a new highway in Syracuse, New York, with archaeologists following not far behind.
A team discovered 11 toilets that likely date back to the mid-1800s, local news outlet Syracuse.com reported.
Crews had been sifting through composted human waste to find items that residents had apparently thrown into the toilets.
ANCIENT BURIAL OF PHYSICIAN WHO TREATED EGYPTIAN PHAROOS DISCOVERED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS
Daniel Seib, an archaeologist, told Syracuse.com: “Each of these secrets is a small one time capsule for us.”
Archaeologists discovered eleven toilets (not pictured) dating to the mid-1800s, along with artifacts. (iStock)
Teams searched holes five feet deep and found one cow bonea shell and a pocket watch, according to Syracuse.com.
For more lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle
They also found large pieces of broken plates and the handle of a jug.
Construction workers work to build a new highway in Syracuse, New York (not pictured), while archaeologists discover artifacts dating back hundreds of years. (iStock)
“These are all things that they held and used, and this tells you how they lived their lives. It’s very personal. So when we get these kinds of artifacts, we treat them with great respect,” Seib said.
Centuries ago, before the advent of indoor plumbing, people used separate outbuildings their houses.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Waste workers called “night groundsmen” 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 solutions company for sustainable waste management.
Teams reportedly discovered a cow bone, a shell and a pocket watch. (Courtesy of Bob Barnes)
The artifacts will reportedly go to the New York State Museum in Albany for public viewing.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital reached out to the New York State Museum for comment.
