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Message:: [QUOTE="Gavin Richardson, post: 2712594, member: 83956"]One of my favorite sites in Ostia: the communal toilet. No privacy stalls here, just ancient Romans and port city visitors sitting, ahem, cheek to cheek. And while it might shock modern sensibilities, there's no compelling evidence that these toilets were not co-ed, though I'm not sure there's conclusive evidence either way. (I'd be happy to be corrected on this score.) [ATTACH=full]612903[/ATTACH] The bottom hole is for inserting a sponge on a stick for self-cleaning--the Roman toilet paper. Since it is still Easter in the U.S., here's an odd holiday tie-in. When Jesus is offered wine and gall on a sponge on a stick (Matt 27:48: "Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink"), it may have been a kind gesture of offering him a type of primitive anesthetic. On the other hand, it could have been a scornful gesture--a bitter drink offered to Jesus using the same medium men used to clean themselves in the latrine--a sponge on a stick. I find the latter interpretation more convincing in context: 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.[/QUOTE]