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The Archaeology of Sanitation in Roman Italy

Toilets, Sewers, and Water Systems

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The Romans developed sophisticated methods for managing hygiene, including aqueducts for moving water from one place to another, sewers for removing used water from baths and runoff from walkways and roads, and public and private latrines. Through the archeological record, graffiti, sanitation-related paintings, and literature, Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow explores this little-known world of bathrooms and sewers, offering unique insights into Roman sanitation, engineering, urban planning and development, hygiene, and public health. Focusing on the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, and Rome, Koloski-Ostrow’s work challenges common perceptions of Romans' social customs, beliefs about health, tolerance for filth in their cities, and attitudes toward privacy. In charting the complex history of sanitary customs from the late republic to the early empire, Koloski-Ostrow reveals the origins of waste removal technologies and their implications for urban health, past and present.
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    • Library Journal

      June 15, 2015

      The fruits of classical studies scholar Koloski-Ostrow's decadeslong exploration of an intriguing and sorely overlooked aspect of ancient Roman culture is this slim but invaluable volume. The work is laden with useful data concerning Roman social habits. While toilets and their presence or absence in Roman communal and private buildings reveal much about the milieu in which they were constructed, archaeologists in the 1800s and the first half of the 20th century often overlooked sanitation systems in order to focus on more popular aspects of Roman material society such as mosaics, temples, and coliseums. Indeed, many of these early professionals went out of their way to describe the toilets they uncovered as being other things entirely. As a result, unfortunately, much useful information has been lost. This, the author contends, speaks lengths to the prudish nature of the times. Luckily, places such as Pompeii and Herculaneum provide researchers with a clear snapshot of a moment in time. Koloski-Ostrow also draws on literature and surviving graffiti to reach unusual revelations. For example, that toilets were often in close proximity to food preparation areas; that the ancient Roman concept of hygiene is largely removed from our own; and that the goddess Fortuna frequently appears in these spaces--her presence indicating, perhaps, that the Romans were concerned that their toilet ministrations went well. The author's examination of public and private space reveals, too, that shared toilets may possibly not have been divided by class. VERDICT A thoughtful investigation of an essential aspect of Roman civilization. Highly recommended.--Brian Renvall, Mesalands Community Coll., Tucumcari, NM

      Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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