Ancient Roman Sponge On A Stick

This was a sea sponge attached to a long stick.

Ancient roman sponge on a stick. Ancient rome 800 bc less painful but equally disgusting was the roman wiping instrument called a tersorium. Wealthy romans could afford a personal sponge on a stick but many used and re used. To sanitize the sponge after use it was dunked into vinegar or salt water. While from a hygiene perspective the communal sponge on a stick may be a low point the ancient romans are well known.

Toilet paper did not exist in roman times so the romans used a spongia instead. And used again the same communal sponge on a stick. Some cultures opted for seashells and animal furs. In absence of toilette paper the butts cleaning device was a wooden stick with a sponge attached at one of the ends often literally a sea sponge or some type of cloth or animal wool.

σπόγγος spongos fixed at one end. The stick has a loop of leather at one end. Don t let words fool you it s a sponge on a stick. Jesus refused it because his intended mission was to thoroughly suffer to the bitter e.

ξύλον xylon with a sea sponge greek. If you look carefully at the illustrations. Ancient roman latrines in ostia antica the xylospongium or tersorium also known as sponge on a stick was a hygienic utensil used by ancient romans to wipe their anus after defecating 1 consisting of a wooden stick greek. The inhabitants of ancient rome were famous among other things because of their baths and hygiene practices.

Our ancient roman would simply wipe him or herself rinse the tersorium in whatever was available running water and or a bucket of vinegar or salt water and leave it for the next person to use. Sound fancy and sophisticated. Roman public toilets consisted of a long marble bench with holes at the top to sit on and holes at the front for the sponge sticks. In very ancient times wiping with stones and other natural materials and rinsing with water or snow was common.

To sanitize this contraption the feces laden sponge was soaked in vinegar or salt water which is about as effective as washing your hands. The ancient romans favorite wiping item including in public restrooms was a sponge on a stick that would sit in salt water and be placed back in the salt water when done waiting for the next person to use it ancient greeks were a little more sanitary using stones and pieces of clay. A tersorium is an ingenious little device made by attaching a natural sponge from the mediterranean sea of course to the end of a stick.