Take time, before you read this article about Romans on the Loo, and consider your dream en suite bathroom. A luxury bathroom, comprising luxury materials - slate, marble, gold, silver - bespoke design and decadent fittings of baths with integrated Jacuzzis, basins, power and massaging showers, lighting, plants, perfumes and oils, whatever you like and it’s all for you. You can lock yourself in there – read in the bath (or on your own loo), soak away the stresses of the day “this is the life” – until you’re ready to come out.

Now you’re relaxed and virtually on topic, we’ll begin…

ABOUT A History of Toilets

Weird Histories’ first series of articles looks into toilets, toilet behaviour and related topics – some of which are a little weird, to say the least. These have been designed for the consumption of teachers and anyone interested in the education of children and young adults. We hope the articles will give ideas, information and the basis of something for teachers to adapt to their own needs.

Teachers of History know how important it is to inject humour into their lessons. History has an unfortunate reputation as being a boring subject and humour helps to recover its reputation. Many teachers (all subjects) have found that much can be taught and retained with the use of comedy. Most have a repertoire of stories available to fit this bill. It is Weird Histories’ aim to add to these.

PLEASE NOTE: If you would like to suggest a topic for future Weird Histories, please contact us.

A History of Toilets 1: Romans on the Loo

Introduction

Comparing toilets and toilet behaviour through the ages enables students to clarify differences and similarities between the societies and eras they’re studying. Toilets and their by-products are a fun topic to consider and can offer relief [tee-hee] from Diocletian’s Reforms and Hadrian’s building works. Entertaining digressions serve to add pace to a lesson, enrich its content and students’ classroom experience.

Relating some of the material contained in this and other articles in A History of Toilets will, at least should (if the delivery is right) elicit “yuks”, “errrrs” and laughter from students. Give yourself a point for each “yuk”, “errr” and laugh your students voice because those sounds offer proof that they’ve related to their subject.

Romans Versus You on the Loo!

The most staggering, virtually inconceivable, difference between Us Now and Them Then is the setting in which we toilet. Granted, nowadays, men and boys use group urinals to pee, but would they (even) use anything but a lockable, private cubicle for the other main function (aka “a sit down”). Women and girls certainly wouldn’t. For Romans, toileting was a thoroughly social event.

What’s Normal Now Wasn’t Normal Then

Ok, small children toilet with their Mothers but for everyone else the accepted norm is private toileting. What is more, where possible, we demand the segregation of toilet facilities according to gender. We are right to do so. What would happen if a modern mixed school decided on an experimental desegregation of toilet facilities?

Roman Public Toilets (and I mean PUBLIC!)

Oh how times have changed! Just imagine completely communal public toilets. Imagine, all of you, in there together, no partitions, no privacy, not knowing who you were going to sit next to – friend or foe – someone there for a quick operation or someone there to stay until the bitter end. Imagine, you are walking down the street with a group of friends and one of you needs to go. Your norm is to politely pause the conversation while your friend nips off. No such polite pause for the Romans “we’ll come with you” you might have said “we can’t wait to hear what happened next”!

Such was the public, Public Toilet in Roman cities throughout its massive Empire. But it wasn’t only the space you’d have shared. It gets worse.

About Roman Toilet Paper

The main thing about Roman toilet paper is that there wasn’t any Roman toilet paper. Don’t panic (yet). The concept of wiping was not absent.

The ancestor of toilet paper in a public, public Roman toilet was a piece of natural sponge – the type that is still farmed from the bottom of oceans. But the wiping sponge in Roman toilets was not cut into perforated sections and dispensed on a roll. Contrary to some belief (some propagated by Monty Python in The Life of Brian), the Romans didn’t invent everything!

So How Did the Romans use Sponge to Wipe?

Before we reveal this particular ancient secret, the gift of extensive historical research, you must now call to mind a situation we’ve all been in. This is the situation in which we are likely to say, words to the effect “could you pass me some of your toilet paper under the door please?” In Roman times you would have been more likely to say “could you pass the sponge to me please after you’ve finished wiping”.

Roman Hygiene

Since we first published this article, in a different guise, we have learnt, via a comment, that the Romans rinsed the wiping sponges in salt water, between wipers. This downgrades the initial yuk factor somewhat. We have not however, found any evidence of post-toilet hand-washing facilities.

Romans on the Loo - Conclusion

Back to more serious study now, if you haven’t used this to end your lesson. Your students will have said “err”, “yuk” and laughed a lot. To change the subject to more mainstream matters you might try discussing the origins of the word “decimate”. Decimation was a punishment used by generals (including Julius Caesar) to discipline their ranks. It entailed the slaughter of every tenth soldier.

Possible Further Activities for Students:

Find examples of surviving Roman toilets. CLUES: There is one in modern Tunisia and remains of a few built during Hadrian’s reign.

Project: If you owned a public toilet in Roman times how would you have generated income. BRIEF ANSWERS: By charging an admission and selling the collected urine to Leather Tanneries.

ENDNOTE: Please add your comments and suggestions as to how we could improve this article and others in this series. We would be grateful if you email a link to this hubpage to anyone involved in the education of children and young adults or anyone this topic may appeal to.