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The xylospongium or tersorium, also known as ''sponge on a stick'', was a hygienic utensil used by
The xylospongium or tersorium, also known as ''sponge on a stick'', was a hygienic utensil used by ancient Roman
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...
s to wipe their anus after defecating, consisting of a wooden stick (Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: , ''xylon'') with a sea sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...
(Greek: , ''spongos'') fixed at one end.
The tersorium was shared by people using public latrines. To clean the sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...
, they simply washed it in a bucket with water and salt or vinegar. This became a breeding ground for bacteria, causing the spread of disease in the latrine.
In classical antiquity
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations ...
a ''xylospongium'' might be used as a toilet brush
A toilet brush is a tool for cleaning a toilet bowl.
Generally the toilet brush is used with toilet cleaner or bleach. The toilet brush can be used to clean the upper area of the toilet, around the bowl. However, it cannot be used to clean ver ...
.
In the baths of the seven sages in Ostia
Ostia may refer to:
Places
*Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome
*Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome
*Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome
Arts and entertainment ...
, a fresco from the 2nd century contains the Inscription ''(u)taris xylosphongio'' which is the first known mention of the term. Also in the early second century a papyrus letter of Claudius Terentianus to his father Claudius Tiberianus uses the term ''xylespongium'' in a phrase.
In the middle of the first century Seneca reported that a Germanic gladiator had committed suicide with a sponge on a stick. The gladiator hid himself in the latrine of an amphitheater and pushed the wooden stick into his gullet and choked to death.Seneca, ''Epistulae morales'' 8, 70, 20. ''... lignum id, quod ad emundanda obscena adhaerente spongia positum est, totum in gulam farsit ...'', "the stick with a sponge attached, that is there for wiping the unmentionables, he stuffed it as it was down his throat".
See also
* Bidet showerCitations
General references
Primary sources
* Claudius Terentianus, Michigan Papyri VIII 471 (inv. 5393) = CEL 146 = ChLA XLII 1220 29. * Seneca, ''Epistulae morales'' Liber 8, 70, 20. *Martial
Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman poet from Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of ''Epigrams'', published in Rome between AD 86 an ...
, ''Epigrammata'', Liber 12,48,7.
Secondary sources
* Richard Neudecker: ''Die Pracht der Latrine. Zum Wandel öffentlicher Bedürfnisanstalten in der kaiserzeitlichen Stadt''. Pfeil-Verlag, München 1994 (Studien zur antiken Stadt, Bd. 1) , pp. 36f. * Gilbert Wiplinger: "Der Gebrauch des Xylospongiums – eine neue Theorie zu den hygienischen Verhältnissen in römischen Latrinen". In: ''SPA . SANITAS PER AQUAM. Tagungsband des Internationalen Frontinus-Symposiums zur Technik – und Kulturgeschichte der antiken Thermen Aachen'', 18. – 22. März 2009. Frontinus-Gesellschaft e.V. & Peeters, Leiden 2012. {{ISBN, 978-90-429-2661-5. pp. 295–304. Ancient Greek culture Ancient Roman culture History of water supply and sanitation Sanitation Waste management in Italy