What the Ancient Romans Used for Toilet Paper--The secret is finally revealed.

What the Ancient Romans Used for Toilet Paper the Secret is Finally Revealed. Romans Probably Invented Bathroom Humor Lex Contributor Network . Ancient Roman Scholar have a lot of controversial ideas about what every day life in Ancient Rome was really like. One of the most controversial is what the inventive Romans with all their practical genius used as toilet paper. Ancient Roman Scholars do not often publish their most controversial insights for the sake of keeping some of the best kept secrets of ancient Rome a mystery to the un-anointed. One of the big mysteries has long been what the ancient Romans used as toilet paper. Many communal toilets have been unearthed by archaeologists and Roman Period literature clearly shows that contemporary foreign visitors to Roman cities found the Romans to be the ancient world's most vile disgusting brute Ill-mannered people . The Romans even insulted the free spirited ancient Greeks with their public displays of sexuality which did actually include the infamous public orgy. The Roman public bathroom was a communal facility with toilets cut out of marble benches where multiple people could relieve themselves in a common space. The Romans were not shy about using the toilets in public. In the grand bath basilicas of Rome there were some segregated facilities for men and for women. It is not certain that other public bathrooms were segregated or co-ed. There were no separation dividers for privacy though it is possible that curtains hung for some patricians or the emperor should they stop in because of nature calling. Togas draped over one sitting on a toilet would certainly act to give one some privacy. Most archaeological evidence shows these places to have been open public spaces or establishments since some of them may have been commercial. New evidence, though necessarily contested by many scholars, is that the Romans alternative to using modern toilet paper was a specialized type of slave. Using slaves as toilet paper? Remember when in Rome you do as the Romans do, If you needed to use a public bathroom you probably would have encountered a bathroom slave known as an atriensis detergeo which translates to a wiping steward. Another name for them were atriensis spongia because the tool of their trade was a sponge attached to a stick. The Romans believed in luxury and service. They also were firm believers in public cleanliness and proper hygiene. The bathroom steward slaves of ancient Rome is where 5 star modern hotels got the idea for the bathroom attendants except that in ancient Rome these slaves provided you with toilet paper services. Maybe you don't really want to go back in history to experience ancient Rome? At the height of Roman imperial civilization bathroom steward slaves kept public sponges on sticks under a stream of running water for constant re use and they provided secondary drying services as well. The Romans also engaged in bath room concerts called symphony infatonis where they engaged in incantus inflatio which might be translated into the operas of flatulence. That might even be a major shock to even the most tolerant of American sensibilities. Breaking out in song in a shower might be the American equivalent but usually in private. A large public toilet facility had the atmosphere of an auditorium. Romans employed slaves in countless specialty services, this was just one of many. The best of slaves had jobs as advisor's to the emperors. The worst were used as blood lust entertainment in the coliseum. Working as a bathroom steward was not the worst job for a slave in the empire. It is unlikely that bathroom sponge slaves received tips for their services but if the facilities were pay facilities small coins would have been paid to the owners for gaining admission to the facilities. Tokens might even have been accepted. Before and after Ancient Roman times there has been very little need for bathroom humor. Atriensis spongia may have had the worst job in all of Roman Imperial times or in all of history but they could eventually buy their freedom and become owners of the facilities. It is a myth that the commode is named after Emperor Commodus who was more popular in Rome than given in some accounts. A public bathroom was called latrina in Latin. Remember when you decided to get in your time machine and go back to ancient Rome, bring extra toilet paper with you.. .