The cities of the Ancient Roman Empire harbored a density of populations that humans hadn’t naturally developed to accommodate. However, urban planners evolved sophisticated strategies for removing the piles of sewage that the cities incessantly churned. These included running water, a workforce paid to collect and transport the waste, and public toilets. Rome itself had around 100 of these marvels, although the ones shown here are from the city of Ephesus. One would sit on the marble benches, in full sight of one’s defecating neighbors. The tunic was a particularly helpful garment here – it could just be flipped up from behind as one settled a behind on the seat. One finished, users would take a long stick with a sea sponge, called a _spongia_, which sat in water, and wipe their bums. The _spongia_ were then replaced for the next user.
