Archaeological excavations were carried out in the Chinese city of Yueyang. Two buildings were excavated in the ruins of the castle, but archaeologists were most surprised by another discovery – a toilet bowl. It is one of the oldest toilets of this type ever discovered, reports the “Science Alert” portal.
Archaeologists say the toilet is 2,200 to 2,400 years old, possibly from the Warring States period to the early Han Dynasty.
SUCH A FIND IS EXTREMELY INTERESTING, BECAUSE HISTORIANS UNTIL NOW BELIEVED THAT THE TOILET WAS INVENTED ONLY IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND.
Fang Mingyang, an antiquities expert, said the toilet was “deceptively modern”. The water drainage system built into it is too similar to modern inventions.
The ancient toilet bowl, its broken parts and the pipe leading to the outdoor pit were discovered last summer.
“THIS LUXURY OBJECT WAS PROBABLY USED ONLY BY HIGH-BIRTH COURTIERS,” LIU RUI OF THE EXCAVATION TEAM SAID.
He further added that it is the first and only toilet with a flush tank that has not been grounded in China. “At first, everyone in the facility was surprised, but then we burst out laughing,” Liu Rui revealed.
The Archaeological Institute states that this major discovery is of great value in the study of the layout of ancient capitals.
In 2017, a compilation article on the evolution of pots was published, which looked at the Top 10 most unusual pots.
At that time, foreign media reported that the year 1596 is considered to be the beginning of toilet design in history, when Sir John Harrington invented a device for his godmother – Queen Elizabeth I: the first water closet that carried feces to a waste pit.
A PATENT WAS OBTAINED BY ALEXANDER CUMMING IN LONDON IN 1775 FOR A POT THAT HAD A FLAP AND RINSING SYSTEM BUILT INTO THE BOTTOM.
The toilet bowl as we know it today, with a seat and a water tank, was invented by an Englishman who started his career as a plumber, Thomas Craper. He also devised a metered and economical water supply from a tank.
Soon after, plumbing production began to develop in other countries as well. Pots, urinals, bidets of various models appeared, until in the 20th century the toilet bowl became a completely commonplace thing.
