Nocniki i gąbki, toalety i latryny – higiena osobista w świecie grecko-rzymskim

Nocniki i gąbki, toalety i latryny – higiena osobista w świecie grecko-rzymskim

Chamber pots and Sponges, Toilets and Latrines: Personal Hygiene in the Greek-Roman World

Andrzej Wypustek

This paper addresses a wide variety of questions regarding Greek and Roman practices associated with personal hygiene. The focus is on urination and defecation habits in antiquity. Some of the issues discussed include also personal cleanliness, the use made of cesspits, drainage and sewage disposal and sanitation. Subsequent investigation shows a variety of accessories for cleanliness, that is ancient equivalents of toilet paper, used throughout antiquity. The development of domestic toilet facilities and public, communal latrines is also broadly presented, with the reference to socialization taking place in the large, splendid Prachtlatrinen in the Roman Empire. The final section of the paper discusses the notion of toilet privacy and the impact of social distinctions on personal hygiene in Greece and Rome.

Anachronica

pl