Shell middens are found in coastal zones all over the world.

Consisting mostly of mollusk shells, they are interpreted as being the waste products of meals eaten by nomadic groups or hunting parties.

Some are small examples relating to meals had by a handful of individuals, others are many meters in length and width and represent centuries of shell deposition.

In Brazil, they are known as sambaquis, having been created over a long period beginning in the sixth millennium BCE.

Fossil records found in Minas Gerais show evidence that the area now called Brazil has been inhabited for at least eight thousand years by indigenous people.