If you went to the toilet in ancient Rome, you would not have any toilet paper. Instead you may have used a sponge (Latin:
But instead of reaching for a roll of toilet paper, an ancient Roman would often grab a tersorium (or, in my technical terms, a “toilet brush for your butt”). 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.
In the 1700s, colonial Americans began using old newspapers and catalogs to wipe. In 1792, American Robert B. Thomas put a hole through the corner of the Old Farmer's Almanac so it could be hung from a hook in the outhouse. The idea was that you could read a page while doing your business, then wipe with it [*][*].
From Seashells to Communal Sponges
In very ancient times, wiping with stones and other natural materials and rinsing with water or snow was common. Some cultures opted for seashells and animal furs.
In North America, throughout the 1700s, people were still wiping with whatever they had on hand. Most common were things like corncobs and seashells (ouch). But by the 1800s, paper was becoming more widely available.
The Romans cleaned their behinds with sea sponges attached to a stick, and the gutter supplied clean flowing water to dip the sponges in. This soft, gentle tool was called a tersorium, which literally meant “a wiping thing.”
The Vikings used wool. The Colonial Americans used the core center cobs from shelled ears of corn. The Mayans used corn cobs.
Mullein aka “cowboy toilet paper”
If the cowboys used the large velvety leaves of the mullein (Verbascum thapsus) plant while out on the range, then you can too! Mullein is a biennial plant available for use in almost every bioregion.
Ancient Greeks often used stones ("pessoi") or fragments of ceramic ("ostraka") to wipe. Pessoi as wiping objects are found in Ancient Greek art, writings, and even proverbs. For example, an ancient Greek wine cup depicts a squatting man mid-wipe with a cane in one hand and a pessoi in the other.
Snow. Inuit and other populations that lived in Arctic regions used snow and ice for their wiping needs. Brrrrr, but also... refreshing?
Before that, they used whatever was handy -- sticks, leaves, corn cobs, bits of cloth, their hands. Toilet paper more or less as we know it today is a product of Victorian times; it was first issued in boxes (the way facial tissue is today) and somewhat later on the familiar rolls.
In the 1700s, most people in the upper class seldom, if ever, bathed. They occasionally washed their faces and hands, and kept themselves “clean” by changing the white linens under their clothing. “The idea about cleanliness focused on their clothing, especially the clothes worn next to the skin,” Ward said.
Although modern-day toilet paper was invented in the United States in 1857, the introduction of toilet paper to Australia came decades later and coincided with the building of city sewers. Adelaide had a drainage system by 1885, while Sydney's was only partially complete by 1876.
The ancient Romans also practiced dental hygiene.
They used frayed sticks and abrasive powders to brush their teeth. These powders were made from ground-up hooves, pumice, eggshells, seashells, and ashes.
Public baths and toilets, many “gender neutral," were the norm in ancient Rome. Rome collapsed and public baths and toilets disappeared, because there was no longer the infrastructure or public money to support them.
In fact, parasites such as whipworm, roundworm and dysentery infections gradually increased during the Roman period instead of falling as expected. This suggests that Roman sanitation technologies such as latrines, sewers and clean water were not as effective in improving gastrointestinal health as you might think.
The first commercially available toilet roll appeared in 1857 thanks to Joseph Gayetty who sold “Medicated Paper for the Water Closet” which was sold in packs of 500 sheets. A few decades later the first perforated toilet paper rolls appeared on the market in 1890 thanks to the Scott Paper Company of Philadelphia.
For the ancient athletes running was a must. They run a lot as running gives the highest cardiovascular payoff with the littlest effort. There were no slick gym machines and Greeks relied purely on body-weight exercises using whatever they could find. Lifting stones and animals for strength.
Not even the Greeks and Romans, who pioneered running water and public baths, used soap to clean their bodies. Instead, men and women immersed themselves in water baths and then smeared their bodies with scented olive oils. They used a metal or reed scraper called a strigil to remove any remaining oil or grime.
Sailors used something called a 'tow rag'. A tow rag was a long piece of frayed rope that dangled in the water. The ropes were tied to the part of the ship that was used as a toilet. After wiping, they would drop the rope back into the water and let the ocean do the clean-up.
In Europe, toilet paper is certainly an option for sanitation, but most occupants overseas prefer to use the bidet for cleaning themselves post toilet use. Bidets feature a mounted spout that sprays water when the occupant is in place and able to press a button.
Wiping in the Medieval Times
Before toilet paper was even a concept, people just used whatever was available to wipe. This included items such as hay, wood shavings, corn cobs, and even iron cables.
34); that moss was used as toilet paper by Anglo-Scandinavians in York (p. 42); that the porpoise figured into monastic diet in the late seventh and early eighth century (p.
Vikings valued their appearance and cleanliness, they spent time, effort, and wealth on it, and they were about as clean as they practically could be during that time. Vikings equated daily combing, grooming and cleanliness with self-respect ...and personal presentation with honor and self-worth.
Before Toilet Paper
Leaves, rags, moss and rags were some of the less-painful (and probably more sanitary) options. Wealthy people used wool, lace or other fabrics. The idea of toilet paper actually dates back to medieval China, when a Chinese emperor used 2-foot by 3-foot sheets of paper.