April 3: Kusadasi to Istanbul
Public latrine

An excellent example of the Romans engineering skills is found with the the public latrine. Consider that many of the Roman ruins we have are not well preserved. Their marble was stripped off to be used for construction by later civilizations. So, it is in places like Ephesus or Pompeii where we find examples of Roman plumbing. This one at Ephesus is one of the very best.

Water ran continually below the seats removing waste material in a very efficient way. In addition, the men who were using the facility were treated to a decorative fountain which took up the entire center of the structure. Around the edge of this 15 by 15 foot room was a marble topped row of seats. The seating area was covered by a wooden ceiling supported by marble columns. The only other thing to note, is there are no partitions between the holes. This was very common in that day. Many of the best homes in Ephesus would have had private latrines in their homes. However, if men of means were caught in town, public latrines like this higher caliber location, would have been available for a small fee.

One anecdotal story our guide told us was that very wealthy men would send a slave down ahead of them to warm up the seat. One can only imagine how cold a stone seat, that''s open to the night air could be, first thing in the morning!