Ancient hydraulic works

Thera lavatory

Hydrosystem:Thera
Use: Sanitary Facilities
Construction era: Hellenistic
Types: Lavatory
Operation era: Hellenistic
Location: Greece - Thera island
References:
  • Antoniou, G. P., Lavatories in Ancient Greece, Water Supply, 7(1), 155-164, 2007.

The Public lavatories of Thera are small in size but abound all over the excavated part of the ancient city. Despite their public use, they have small size. Even though they are structurally embodied to residences, their access was only from the communal space of streets. The ditches and sewers have been preserved but not any seats or defecation openings. Possibly they were not made of stone. The sewerage was facilitating through ditches in to the streets. Very important is also the case of Thera, with the numerous public lavatories which, according their placement, shape and size, could easily be private ones. The influences from the thriving Ptolemaic Egypt should not be ignored. Many lavatories are reported in descriptions in papyruses of that era, related to real estate matters.

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