Mudlarkers discover historical artifacts in riverbeds.
Lara Maiklem, a mudlarker, scours the shores of London's River Thames for artifacts that date back 2,000 years or more. She is not looking for treasure but rather lost and found things that tell stories of ordinary people in London. Mudlarking is affected by the rhythms of the river, and every 12 hours, it brings a new delivery of London's history. The river also spits out a mass of 21st-century trash, but the mud is anaerobic, which preserves organic material almost as perfectly as the day it went in.