TIL ancient Romans used communal toilets—stone benches with keyhole-shaped holes—where people sat side by side without privacy, chatting while waste drained beneath them using flowing water.
Toilets in Ancient Times: Hygiene and Poop Practices Explained
People are so prissy about bodily functions and genitals and so on these days.
The scary part was the communal sponge
If there is flowing water beneath just rinse it
Flowing water with bobbing turds.
You wanted to be first in line for the new sponge, that's for sure.
Current research doesn’t support that.
Most likely, the sponge sticks were used as a toilet brush, and pieces of cloth were used to wipe.
Nope, the separator structures just didn't survive so we don't know how "communal bathrooms" looked they could have had wooden walls around them but you know wood doesn't last very long.
We have more to go off, though.
Surviving texts speak of the social aspect of shitting.
Yes but Rome was huge to apply one scenario to all the empire is kinda silly.
Is that an opinion among history experts, or a deduction based on your observations? I've never heard this theory before, but I'd love to read more if you've got information.
I too want to read more about historical toilets.
I don't think that's the case here
I mean, the spacing looks like it would be pretty squishy if you had little wall separators between each spot
Really but for most of human history your parents having sex with you in the room or same bed wasn't an issue? People didn't care it's the way things where.
And shared a sponge stick to wash their ass.
Current research doesn't support that.
Most likely, the sponge sticks were used as a toilet brush, and pieces of cloth were used to wipe.
Also "without privacy" is also in question, because you could use cloth partitions hanging from a rod; something known to be used in stadiums to separate class.
Good to know, i had a hard time anyway believing that humans of any societal development stage would literally share a feces encrusted rag on a stick, to clean themselves. Certainly would be less nasty to just get up and leave without wiping at all.
Source?
I don't mean that in an "I don't believe you" way.
I literally mean that in an "I majored in Archaeology and would be interested in reading that since it's been more than 20 years since my knowledge was up to date."
Cloth was not easy to make and what would they do with it?
You didn't mention the communal ass wiping sponge!
Imagine:
It's 72 degrees, 9am, blue skies, green trees, you're under just a bit of shade, there's a cool, fresh breeze, and shitting sitting on a bench like the one in the picture with your honey, both giggling while the sounds of a river directly underneath you sweep away and clean all the waste as birds chip and you both talk about something inane like how jjk is just naruto on adderall and what's going to be for breakfast.
We used to have it all
Imagine if you're taking a shit and a thicc brother sits beside you and now you are touching butts
Don’t stop!
I’m almost there…
my family's old farmhouse has communal outhouses. this was the norm until like 150-200 years ago, and was still common here into the early 1900s.
150?
Try 60
Faustinus: Corn for dinner last night, Octavius?
Octavious: No, what's corn?
Marius: might want to see a doctor or a spiritual medium about that
When you think about it, this is what we do too today... Says I while I sit on the loo...
Our diets have changed, so the sponge has been replaced with the poop knife.
Who…! Does! ….. number 2…. Work… for!?!
Ah, no need for a courtesy flush if there's flowing water!
Love me some co-op shitting
Some places in China still have the shitter trough. Pro tip is to sit upstream or else it all goes by you. Last time I went in one of though was in a smaller* town’s bus station. Still cracks me up that two uncles were both using it and one of them got up and turned to the other and said 慢慢拉. This phrase is typically used for something like 慢慢来 to mean take your time but he used it to say poo slowly or take your time pooing. Makes it even better that these squat stalls on the trough were like four feet tall so when you stand up you can see everyone.
I haven't seen one in a while but a "two hole drop" is a rural Australian long drop toilet. One bench seat with two pooping holes in it.
In the US that's called a two seater
Dual wielding
The navy called and want their head back.
The great equalizer
Hey, does my poop look right to you?
still an upgrade from getting swifty
mistakes were made
old timey shit-together