https://allthatsinteresting.com/roman-bathroom
But were too afraid to ask.... 8)
Can I ask about the vomitorium?
You can, but it's nothing to do with the bathroom - better off looking at the Colosseum for those ;D
Ah, the delicate politeness of US English. Not a bath in sight, but still a bathroom :) The Victorian "Public Convenience" seems appropriate. :)
WC or ty bach :)
Little house (but not on the prairie)? Foricae certainly had water and were closeted (enclosed) to some extent, so WC may be appropriate. The apparent absence of washing facilities probably precludes lavatory.
Hence ty bach!
Basically the outdoor privvie ;D
From the article:
Quote"Today, you pull down your pants and expose yourself, but when you had your toga wrapped around you, it provided a natural protection," Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, an anthropologist at Brandeis University, said in an interview with the Smithsonian Magazine. "The clothes they wore would provide a barricade so you actually could do your business in relative privacy, get up and go. And hopefully, your toga wasn't too dirty after that."
OK maybe, but:
QuoteThese Roman toilets, called foricae, were specifically built for the poor and enslaved in ancient Rome, so the elites wouldn't have to see the lower classes urinating and defecating in the streets. And so the bathrooms were most often used by male laborers, merchants, and slaves.
- who wouldn't be wearing a toga anyway! Even the citizen poor who might be entitled to the toga wouldn't wear it for everyday activities, so your chances of ever seeing a toga in a forica must be pretty slim.
Quote from: Imperial Dave on January 17, 2025, 11:35:12 AMBasically the outdoor privvie
Another one we can't really use - nothing privy or private about these facilities :)
;D
For those interested in the facilities available to the better off in Roman society as opposed to the plebs and servile masses, the picture below is of the small house in the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily. The guide book does not reveal whether this was reserved for the owners or was simply part of the servants quarters. In any event, as can be seen, someone has nicked the toilet seats... ::)
Casale.jpg
Nice