We have already discussed the enlightened use of urine by the Romans as a laundry detergent. While on the topic of the potty habits of the Romans, we should also consider their equally enlightened use of sewers and toilets. Public toilets were ubiquitous in ancient Rome, along with fully functional sewers--a combination which would be lost for centuries thereafter.
However, not a perfect combination in all respects. Modesty took a second seat (or, depending on the size of the facilities, a third, fourth, or fifth seat), as the toilets would simply be sitting out in the open. The toilets were never cleaned and their male users probably suffered with the same problems with accuracy as do their modern counterparts, as can be observed in most any gas station or airport men's restroom. Archeologists have confirmed that Roman pooping parlors were teeming with parasites. And, finally, there is the issue of the toilet paper. There was none. Wiping was done by a sponge on a stick--an apparatus which was never cleaned and which was passed from one user to the next.
And, oh yes, do not forget the aroma--and the critters who would come up from below to chew on exposed buttocks--or the occasional exploding and scrotum-searing methane gas. No wonder Romans would draw pictures of Fortuna (the goddess of luck) on the stalls in order to ward of demons. They would also inscribe witticisms and crude comically profane drawings on the belief that laughter would also drive away the foul creatures. And thus graffiti was born.
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