Bathrooms: An Ancient Legacy of Man by Art Gib

The bathroom is a curious thing. For one, it's a place where man, woman or child can go to find repose from the needs of the body. They can read a book there, take a shower, freshen up. Bathrooms play an important -- if not vital -- role in our daily routines. How often do we go there to relieve ourselves? In considering the enormous impact the bathroom can have on each day, one begins to wonder, just how long has the bathroom been in existence?

Some suggest that the earliest conception of a bathroom as a space dedicated to waste management was Mohenjo Daro, an ancient city of the Indus Valley River Civilization circa 2800 BC. This city featured bathrooms with toilets shaped remarkably like modern ones with chutes that led to the municipal sewer system. Other civilizations, while perhaps not capitalizing on the opportunity to manage waste, prioritized the need to be clean and made spaces for ritual washings.

Since this idea can be traced to peoples even older than those of the Indus River Valley it could be argued that bathrooms have played an important part of human lives since the dawn of time. However, the curiosity still remains, how long have bathrooms as we know them been around?

Not until the twentieth century was the modern bathroom born as a hallmark of human development. However, there are a few brilliant moments in history that point to various peoples mastering the technology necessary for the drains, sewers and piping necessary to have tubs and facilities with warm or cold water. For example, a bathtub from the palace of Knossos in Crete had a bathtub similar in shape to modern bathtubs, complete with comparable drain and piping.

On another island with volcanically heated water, bathrooms have been found with piping built separately for cold and hot water. These ancient examples, like those of the Romans, show the interest of human beings throughout history to create bathing spaces.

The Romans capitalized on opportunities to create both public and private bathing spaces. The public bath houses were certainly important in their culture as multiple writings make mention of them. Private versions of the bath houses also existed, but only for the wealthiest families.

Even after the collapse of the Roman Empire there's evidence to suggest that before the Renaissance, bathing continued to be important as soap began to be manufactured during this time period. Only until people believed that water was a disease carrier during the Renaissance did bathing drop off in popularity before picking up again in the twentieth century.

Rustica Hardware is a purveyor of home decorative hardware from manufacturers like the fusion hardware group and also other home luxuries like speak easy grills. Art Gib is a freelance writer.

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