There is some humorous graffiti in the latrine at Ostia Antica (pictured in the article). The Seven Sages of Greece had permeated the collective consciousness to such an extent in Rome that some unknown individual inscribed some graffiti referencing some of them.<p>For example, one graffito reads: "Ut bene cacaret, ventrum palpavit Solon," which translates to "To shit well, Solon rubbed his belly."<p>Another says, "Durum cacantes monuit ut nitant Thales," which translates to, "Thales admonished those shitting to strain hard."<p>Another: "Vissire tacite Chilon docuit subdolus", or "Sly Chilon taught to fart silently."<p>To get the modern cultural connotation, substitute "Thales" or "Solon" for "Einstein" or "Abraham Lincoln".<p>Some of the other graffiti do not reference the Seven Sages. The Seven Sages graffiti use a higher register --- past tense and a meter associated with comedies. But the other graffiti are in a lower register --- present tense and no meter. One of these others recommends "shake yourself about so you'll go faster."<p>One of these also references the tersorium, or sponge on a stick, that the article discusses. (Also called a xylospongium.) The graffito reads "No one talks to you much, Priscianus, until you use the sponge on a stick."
From another article[1] on the topic by an archaeologist:<p>"Even worse, these public latrines were notorious for terrifying customers when flames exploded from their seat openings. These were caused by gas explosions of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and methane (CH4) that were rank as well as frightening. Customers also had to worry about rats and other small vermin threatening to bite their bottoms. And then there was the perceived threat of demons that the Romans believed inhabited these black holes leading to the mysterious underbelly of the city."<p>Sounds like it was far better if you could hold it until you got home to your own private toilet, which was probably in the kitchen right next to where your slaves were preparing your next meal[2].<p>[1] <a href="https://phys.org/news/2015-11-toilets-sewers-ancient-roman-sanitation.html" rel="nofollow">https://phys.org/news/2015-11-toilets-sewers-ancient-roman-s...</a><p>[2] <a href="https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2015/564dcb76b9497.jpeg" rel="nofollow">https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2015/564dcb76b9497.jpe...</a>
As a kid, I distinctly and fondly remember visiting a castle [0] built on the edge of Lake Geneva. The two most prominent memories of the visit I have are the dungeon, which was awesome and horrifying, and the fact that the "toilets" were just holes in a long plank of wood [1] built alongside the rear castle wall, which hung over the water--no flushing necessary.<p>0: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chillon_Castle" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chillon_Castle</a><p>1: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomislavmedak/3812153036" rel="nofollow">https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomislavmedak/3812153036</a>
I had to stop reading when the author started talking about how togas gave them more privacy. 99% of Romans never wore a toga, and of those that did, they were only used for senate hearing and other special / public business.
Some of the things said in this article are ridiculous. Especially the wiping your butt with a communal sponge-on-a-stick. Even if we are to believe that the same people who went to such great lengths to rid their cities of waste would then share sponges with faeces on them, why would you reach around with a long stick to clean yourself? How would that even work? This looks exactly like modern shower sponges made for reaching your back. Try wiping with one.<p>Also the claim that these toilets were for the unwashed masses, yet those same people supposedly wore togas on a day-to-day basis.<p>Who even writes this crap?...
The claim that they wiped with a sponge on a stick is probably wrong: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24coYKPga9o" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24coYKPga9o</a>
Do the images of the toilets appear a little tall to anyone? If average height of a Roman male was 5'5", then I expect most of them could not sit with their feet flat on the floor, but could only reach it with their toes, or dangled their feet, or braced against the side.
This was a great toilet read, not too long, not too short, although I’m somewhat of a speed reader. Now where did that sea sponge on the end of a stick go? No wait, that’s the toilet brush.