UTLMO Conference: From Delos to Ostia: human waste disposal in ancient cities

Description

In Antiquity, collective latrines, consisting of a sewer running along one or more walls of a room, topped by a perforated bench, were developed to cope with the ever-growing problem of managing human waste in ever-expanding conurbations. A comparison of the cities of Delos and Ostia shows the long-term evolution of these facilities, which were designed to improve excreta disposal in contexts where, contrary to popular belief, water was not always abundant.

Alongside ground-floor latrines, upstairs toilets were developed to meet human waste management constraints when urban pressure constrained the vertical development of towns. Alain Bouet is a specialist in Roman architecture and Elise Bouet is in charge of excavations at the Plassac villa (Gironde). They both work at the Ausonius Laboratory.