PL | EN

Antiquity: the oldest dildo, inn and flush toilet in the world

Archaeologists from Newcastle University and University College Dublin have re-examined a 2,000-year-old phallus-shaped wooden object found in a Roman fort in Northumberland in 1992. Researchers say this may be the only known Roman life-size dildo used for erotic play. Alternatively, the object may have served as a pestle for culinary, cosmetic and medicinal purposes or may have been part of a statue that people touched for luck.

At an archaeological site dating to around 2700 BC  in the ancient Sumerian city-state of Lagash, archaeologists from the Universities of Pisa and Pennsylvania have discovered what is probably the oldest known inn. It consisted of seven rooms with a courtyard with benches and a kitchen with a mule brick oven. The kitchen also had a primitive refrigerator – two bottomless clay jars that used evaporation to cool perishable ingredients. According to archaeologists, the ancient inn served beer, dates and dried fish, among other meals.

Chinese archaeologists have discovered the remains of what is probably the oldest 2,400-year-old flush toilet in the world. A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences worked within the ruins of an ancient palace at an archaeological site in Yueyang, Xi’an. The toilet was said to have been located inside the palace and had a pipe leading to the outer pit. It may have been reserved for high-ranking officials in the Age of Warring Kingdoms and the later Han Dynasty. After each use, servants were to pour water into the toilet bowl.

Read also
The largest polluters on Earth
The largest polluters on Earth
According to a report by Oil Change International, only 20 countries are responsible for almost 90% of oil and gas extraction projects planned in 2023–2050. These so-called planet destroyers will emit 172.6 gigatonnes of CO₂ by 2050, equivalent to emissions from approximately 1,082 coal-fired power plants over their entire activity cycle. The USA, Canada, Russia, […]
Technology and food: fruits from the laboratory and the Farm of the Future
Technology and food: fruits from the laboratory and the Farm of the Future
At the Future Farm of Wageningen University & Research, scientists want to produce more food and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture. They experiment, among others, with a crop diversity method that uses water more efficiently, reduces the risk of plant diseases, is healthier for the soil and produces higher yields. The farm’s drainage […]
New economic corridors: IMEC and Nizhne Leninskoye–Tongjiang
New economic corridors: IMEC and Nizhne Leninskoye–Tongjiang
During the summit of G20 leaders in New Delhi, they announced the emergence of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). IMEC is a transnational rail and shipping route spanning two continents that aims to boost economic development by improving Asia’s connections and economic integration with the Gulf states and Europe. It will consist of two […]
Digital bioacoustics, electric bees and the the altiplano mouse
Digital bioacoustics, electric bees and the the altiplano mouse
A swarm of honeybees can produce as much electricity as a thundercloud, and a billion bees generate enough electricity to light an LED. According to scientists from, among others, the University of Reading, mass movements of insects in the atmosphere may even impact weather – the formation of clouds and the spread of dust – […]
The Liptako-Gourma Charter and the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam
The Liptako-Gourma Charter and the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam
Ethiopia has completed filling the largest African reservoir at the Grand Renaissance Dam located on the Blue Nile. The dam, over 1,600 m long and 145 m high, whose primary purpose is to produce electricity for Ethiopia, is located in the north of the country, 30 km from the border with Sudan. 85% of the […]
Previous issues