Episode 86: Piss Lord Vespasian

CW: Bodily Fluids

Have you ever looked at the wonders of the ancient world and thought “I wonder how this was made?” Well, we can answer that question for at least one of them, and that is the Colosseum. Ancient Rome was a wild, huge place, and we took a lot of things from it into the modern day. After you listen to this episode, you’ll know one way or the other how you feel about what the Romans thought about and did with bodily fluids.

Urine trouble if you have a problem talking about body fluids. I really hope you don’t because this whole episode was about urine and what the ancient Romans were using it for. the answer will definitely surprise you. This Nat Geo blog is fun because it has some pictures and a little info but mostly, it has a ton of discussion links that will lead you elsewhere to places where you can learn tons more about the subject.

Lots of Links

This incredible restroom, complete with mosaic floor, is an indication of the ancient Roman 1%. It was part of a luxurious agricultural estate on the island of Sicily. Photograph by José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-SA-4.0

This article talks about Nero and how he started the urine tax in the first place, and it also contains some really nice images of ancient bathrooms.

Weird Guy Nero

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