Storage Jar or Portable Toilet? Scientists Discover New Way to Find Out How Conical Pots Were Used in Ancient Rome

A recent study reveals how archeologists can easily determine whether ancient Romans once used pots found in ruins as portable toilets or chamber pots, or storage jars.

Roger Wilson, the director of the Gerace archeological project, Sicily where the conical pots were found, and a professor in the University of British Columbia's Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious studies explain that the type of conical pots found has been widely recognized as a part of the Roman Empire. Due to a lack of other evidence, these jars are often tagged as storage jars. However, the discovery of numerous jars near public latrines suggests that they might serve another purpose, as a chamber pot; however, up until now, there has been no solid proof.

Storage Jar or Chamber Pot, Scientists Analyze Ancient Parasites

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A picture taken on April 10, 2021, shows a pot bearing inscriptions at the archaeological site of a 3000-year-old city, dubbed The Rise of Aten, dating to the reign of Amenhotep III, uncovered by the Egyptian mission west of Luxor. - Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an ancient city in the desert outside Luxor that they say is the "largest" ever found in Egypt and dates back to the golden age of the pharaohs 3,000 years ago. Famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass announced the discovery of the "lost golden city," saying the site was uncovered near Luxor, home of the legendary Valley of the Kings.

To get to the bottom of things, archeologists from the University of Cambridge examined crusty material that formed inside the ceramic pot's surface that dates back to the fifth century found in an ancient Roman villa site in Sicily. By using microscopy at the Ancient Parasites Laboratory, researchers identified intestinal parasites-the eggs of whipworms. This discovery confirms that the conical pots were indeed used to contain human feces, reports PhysOrg.

Tianyi Wang, the co-author of the study from the University of Cambridge, explains that it was incredibly existing for the team to discover the eggs of the parasitic worms roughly 1500 years after being deposited.

Whipworms, also known as Trichuris trichiura, are human parasites that commonly grow up to five centimeters long that thrive in the lining of human intestines. The eggs the worms lay mix with human feces and logically would be deposited in the chamber pot during ancient Roman use. Minerals from human excrements built up a layer in the inner surface of the chamber pot as it was repeatedly used, which created concretions.

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1,500-Year-Old Preserved Parasite Eggs

In the study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, titled "Using parasite analysis to identify ancient chamber pots: An example of the fifth century CE from Gerace, Sicily, Italy," Sophie Rabinow, co-author, explains that the team found that the parasitic eggs were entrapped in layers of minerals that formed on the chamber pot's surface that preserved the eggs for centuries.

The scientist's discovery marks the first-ever identification of parasite eggs from concretions in Roman ceramic vessels confirming that the Gerace pots have been used as containers for human excrements.

Despite the fact that the measurements for the Gerace chamber pots of 31.8 cm high and a rim diameter of 34cm suggest that it could have also been used simply for sitting, scientists believe that it was more likely used in conjunction with timber or wickerwork chairs where the pots were set.

Rabinow says that the recent findings suggest that parasite analysis can give valuable clues for ceramic researchers.