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
Hybrid work, pay raises and the AI revolution in the labor market
Hybrid work, pay raises and the AI revolution in the labor market
According to the results of a yet unreviewed experiment at Trip.com, those employed in a hybrid work model were happier and less likely to leave the company than those who worked only in the office, and the overall productivity of both groups was the same. Meanwhile, a series of studies, for example, on call centre […]
India, China and Pakistan: rivalry for the Maldives and Kashmir
India, China and Pakistan: rivalry for the Maldives and Kashmir
India and China compete for the small but strategically important Maldives, offering infrastructure investments and financial resources. China needs a military presence in the Arabian Sea to secure access to oil from the Persian Gulf. India considers the Maldives as its sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean and wants to ensure that the Maldives […]
Ibogaine, counting butterflies, menopause and depressive disorders
Ibogaine, counting butterflies, menopause and depressive disorders
Scientists studying ibogaine, a psychedelic substance, report its possible therapeutic potential in the treatment of addictions and post-traumatic stress disorder. In the small studies conducted so far, where opioid addicts were given ibogaine, from ⅓ to ⅔ of people from the study group were cured. However, the psychedelic can cause fatal heart rhythm disturbances, making […]
The European food crisis and controversial airdrops in the Gaza Strip
The European food crisis and controversial airdrops in the Gaza Strip
European officials, food safety experts, and industry representatives recently gathered in Brussels to discuss potential solutions to a looming food crisis in Europe. The pandemic has created several challenges, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, disruptions to shipping routes and supply chains, and unpredictable and extreme weather conditions. Sadly, in 2022, weather and climatic events in […]
Oil and gas extraction vs environment and human health protection
Oil and gas extraction vs environment and human health protection
In Italy’s Polesine region, plans to resume methane drilling threaten subsiding land between the Po River Delta and the Adriatic Sea. The Italian government has lifted the ban on gas exploration in this area that has been in force since 1961, and the scenario assumes new drilling in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of […]
Previous issues