That washing thing on a stick

May 2, 2016 7:37 PM

Toilets of Roman Pompeii tells you most of the things you wanted to know about Roman habits

of urination and defecation. (Warning: there are some images of plaster casts of Pompeii's victims.) There's a digression about cleansing with pessoi, or stones, and their possible relationship to ostracism. More aristocratic Romans preferred the tersorium, which literally means "wiping thing". The word tersorium was used through the Middle Ages; the Lexis of Cloth and Clothing coyly glosses it as "a drying cloth or towel (for the feet, face, or another part of the body)". In the Middle Ages, tersorium could also mean "mop"; the English equivalent was "malkyn", a nickname for Maud.

posted by yarntheory (16 comments total)

I am so thankful for Charmin.
posted by Kalmya at 7:45 PM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

POOP SPONGE ONNA STICK
posted by poffin boffin at 7:51 PM on May 2, 2016 [8 favorites]

If neither a tersorium nor water were available, the Greeks and Romans used πεσσοι or pessoi, small stones. The tradition started with the ancient Greeks that three stones should be enough to finish the job.

Finally, a verifiable answer to the "three seashells" question.
posted by chambers at 8:08 PM on May 2, 2016 [15 favorites]

If neither a tersorium nor water were available, the Greeks and Romans used πεσσοι or pessoi, small stones... The pessoi were also used in an ancient board game in Greece.

What is the Attic Greek equivalent to, "You're soaking in it"?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:14 PM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Roman plumbing! So fascinating! Recommended:The Archaeology of Sanitation in Roman Italy: Toilets, Sewers, and Water Systems. A short article by the author. Interview + parasite links. And some awesome sewer research.
posted by jetlagaddict at 8:17 PM on May 2, 2016 [3 favorites]

But did they stand or sit while using the "wiping thing"?
posted by Dip Flash at 8:20 PM on May 2, 2016 [9 favorites]

And when it was awaiting use, was this "wiping thing" hung with the business end facing outward or inward?
posted by mosk at 8:33 PM on May 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

This article claims that Pompeii was buried under 18 meters of ash--that'd be 60 feet. That seemed almost unbelievable, so I Googled a bit. Every other source puts that at a much smaller figure. Wiki states "13 to 20" feet. Other sources give 20 feet, "14 to 17", etc. So I'm thinking that should be 18 feet, not 18 Meters.
posted by mysterious_stranger at 8:37 PM on May 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

I wonder if they conflated Herculaneum and Pompeii? The volcanic material covering Herculaneum, which was hit differently than Pompeii, is somewhere between 9 to 21 meters deep.
posted by jetlagaddict at 8:47 PM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

cleansing with pessoi, or stones

Wow, and I thought using corn cobs was hardcore!
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:58 PM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

This article (PDF) has pictures of the stones. They're smoother than what I was imagining, but also way more porous. Definitely not something you'd re-use if you lived in a civilization that had discovered germ theory.
posted by Banknote of the year at 9:48 PM on May 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

Ah, the good old days. #parasites4life
posted by five fresh fish at 11:44 PM on May 2, 2016

No.
posted by pxe2000 at 3:07 AM on May 3, 2016

POOP SPONGE ONNA STICK

This sounds like the street shoutings of a poop sponge monger
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:30 AM on May 3, 2016

So I'm thinking that should be 18 feet, not 18 Meters.

Correct. Which allowed for digging for valuables occurred not long after the explosion

Graffiti on the walls of the Lupanaro indicates that the prostitutes were slaves from all around the Mediterranean.

Cite? None of the graffiti I've seen indicates that. The frescoes indicate fantasy sex. Written records suggest that prostitutes were sometimes slaves, sometimes not.
posted by IndigoJones at 5:20 AM on May 3, 2016

Loved it when it was featured in Horrible Histories:

"Pass me the sponge on a stick, will you?"
"Here you go"
"Augh!"
"Oops, sorry. Sponge must've fallen off."
posted by infinitelives at 9:16 AM on May 3, 2016