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The processes of loss, the throwing away and abandonment of small handmade items in present-day areas generally result in the formation of ephemeral and unsedinzented contexts. Only a very small part of what is lost or discarded will, in fact, contribute to the formation of well-consolidated and permanent archaeological layers in the place where they were aban¬doned. The "Junk-Paccottiglia" Project is centred on the archaeological study of a modern park in the centre of Rome and has involved the observation, the collection and the spatial contextualization of about 1500 archaeological items in the space of 14 months, from September 2004 to December 2005. Surveys conducted almost daily have permitted the collection of hundreds of personal ornaments (hair clips, beads, pendants, earrings, studs, buttons, artificial nails, gadgets for mobile phones, etc.). The items have then been quantitatively and qualitatively classified on the basis of shape, dimensions and material, with attention paid to the location where they were found and to the categories of age and sex of the population to which they probably belonged. The archaeology of contemporary beads is extremely complex in terms of defining their original owners. In the case of necklaces and bracelets that had fallen on the ground and that were lost or only partial¬ly recovered, the process of recovery of these elements and the dimensions of the areas of distribution were studied on the basis of some preliminary parameters, such as the average dimensions and spherical coefficient of the beads. Seasonal indicators such as buttons lost in the park, which vary in dimension and colour according to the current climate, have also enabled us to evaluate the chronological and seasonal variability of the processes of archaeological formation and distribution in space. This was carried out on the basis of climatic variation and consideration of exposure to sunlight and shade. These aspects are, in fact, a universal variable of human behaviour Finally, the archaeological expression of certain ritual behaviours, specifically connected to recurrent and well-recognizable chronological occurrences, has been supported.