The first toilet. The history of the appearance of the toilet. for the elite in ancient Rome

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  There are toilet bowls with a separately located cistern, with a cistern installed on a shelf (the so-called compact), and monolithic. Separately located cisterns require a connecting pipe to be installed between the cistern and the bowl. Earlier designs of toilets assumed the installation of the cistern at a height of about 2 m in order to generate a flow of water at a sufficiently high speed. Subsequently, this design was supplanted by compact toilet bowls, which are easier to install and maintain. There are also toilets that involve a hidden installation of the cistern.

  Bowl

  During the production process, the toilet bowl is molded in such a way that the visible open part of the bowl smoothly passes into the siphon located in the depth of the bowl (provides a water, that is, a hydraulic seal for gases formed and accumulated in the sewer system), which then smoothly passes into the "outlet" (in fact outlet).

  Structurally, according to the direction of release, the toilet bowls are divided into two main groups - with a "horizontal" outlet and with a "vertical" outlet:

  Toilet bowls with "horizontal" outlet- the outlet of such a toilet is usually located at the back of the bowl and is directed backwards. The outlet itself protrudes noticeably from the body of the toilet bowl, and the outlet axis is located parallel or at a slight angle downward to the plane of the floor (or ceiling). Toilets with a downward facing outlet are often referred to as "oblique outlet" toilets.

  Such toilets are common primarily in Europe, including Russia and the CIS. Historically, this is due to the fact that the distribution of plank beds of sewer pipes here was carried out, as a rule, along the ceiling, usually along the walls (or partitions). And toilets with a horizontal outlet are installed in the same way, as a rule, against the wall, at right angles to it.

  The outlet pipe of such a toilet bowl is connected to the sewer pipe, usually with a special cuff. These toilets are attached to the floor (ceiling) through special holes in the leg of the bowl using screws with dowels or anchors. To install a toilet of the second type with a downward outlet, in the case when the sewer pipes are located over the ceiling, the floor level under the toilet would have to be raised at least 15 ... 20 cm above the ceiling level in order to hide the sewer lounger, which does not always allow the design of the toilet and adjacent rooms (you get uneven floors). An eccentric cuff is used to connect these outlets to the outlets.

  Toilet bowls with "vertical" outlet have a built-in downward-directed outlet, hidden, like the siphon, in the main body of the toilet bowl. Such toilets are common in the United States and several other countries in America. Here, for a long time, the wiring of the plank beds of the sewer pipes was carried out under the overlap without being tied to the walls and partitions (together with the wiring of ventilation and other engineering systems). Then these engineering communications were closed with a hemmed or suspended ceiling, as at present.

  A type 2 toilet with a downward outlet in this case can be installed at any angle to the walls anywhere in the room, even in the middle of the room. To do this, a special standard screw flange is mounted in the floor with a lock (the toilet is equipped with a corresponding standard counterpart) and with a round hole in the middle, into which the end of the sewer pipe is inserted.

  The toilet is mounted by installing it on a flange and then turning it at a small angle until it locks in place. At the same time, since the outlet pipe "looks" downwards, when installing the toilet, it is pressed against the end of the sewer pipe through a special sealing ring. The design of the screw flange connection allows you to dismantle and change the toilet in a matter of minutes. The very junction of the toilet bowl with the floor after its installation is not visible, therefore such a toilet bowl looks aesthetically pleasing from the rear, that is, from the side of the tank, which makes it possible to install it inside the room in an arbitrary way.

  Flushing cistern

  The tank is designed to supply the portion of water necessary for cleaning the toilet bowl. Cisterns for toilet bowls are usually made of ceramic, while stand-alone cisterns can be made of plastic, cast iron, stainless steel and other materials.

  A filling mechanism and a release mechanism are mounted in the tank. To fill the toilet, a float valve is used, which closes when the required water level is reached. The branch pipe for connection to the water supply can be located both on the side surface (a tank with a side water supply) and in the lower part of the tank (with a lower supply).

  The descent mechanism is of two types: siphon and with the use of a pear. The siphon drain was used in tanks of a high installation - in it, when the drain is released, after releasing the drain lever, the water continues to flow due to the siphon effect. This design is quite noisy.

  For low-lying tanks, a rubber bulb is used in the flush mechanism, which floats when the drain is activated and returns to its place, blocking the drain hole, only after the tank is empty. To protect against overflow, an additional branch pipe is required, which can be either combined with a pear, or made as a separate unit. Also, two-mode drainage mechanisms are becoming widespread, which allow you to drain both the entire volume of the water in the tank and a certain part of it.

  Stulchak

  Historically, the first seats and covers were lacquered wood. Nowadays, plastic structures are more common - they are more hygienic. Seats and covers differ in the quality of the plastic and the design of the fasteners. In most cases, several toilet seats can be selected for the same toilet model: the so-called soft, semi-hard and hard. The fastening of the toilet seat to the bowl can be metal or plastic, of various designs.

  
  Anyone's every day usually includes food and exercise. However, the topic of the bodily bottom is taboo, and therefore the hygienic features of life at one time or another are rarely known to the general public. Let's try to understand how we dealt with the call of nature in different eras.

  

  
  

  "Cat toilet" for the pharaoh and other ancient samples

  Civilization begins with sewers. The oldest toilet facilities known to archaeologists belong to the Sumerian and Harappan civilizations. They are over 4.5 thousand years old. They were found in Mesopotamia and on the banks of the Indus. Already in those days, people used water to wash away sewage. With the help of a system of pits and ditches, waste was taken out of the city.

  

  
  

  We can say that the Sumerians and the inhabitants of Mohenjo-Daro share among themselves the primacy of the invention of sewage systems. However, the nobility often used carved chairs with built-in pots. According to rumors, the storerooms of the British Museum keep the "throne" of Queen Puabi of Ur. The first flush toilets are found in the Palace of Knossos in Crete. And the ancient Egyptians used boxes of sand, on which they erected stone slabs with holes.

  

  
  

  Antique hobby clubs: the public toilets of the ancient Romans

  In ancient Greece, pot-fighting was celebrated, and the Romans approached the toilet theme on a grand scale. Latrines - public latrines - were built in great numbers. These establishments looked like rooms, around the perimeter of which were more often stone, less often - wooden seats with holes that looked like keyholes. The benches were located above the sewers. The sewage of Rome was washed out by running water from the thermal baths and through a small channel they connected with the main river of wastewater, the huge Cloaka Maxima, and then fell into the Tiber.

  

  
  

  The cloaca, whose purpose was to drain mud into the river, was dedicated to the Etruscan goddess Cloacina, the keeper of dirt and purity (her name apparently comes from the word "cloare" - to cleanse). Later, a temple was built, dedicated to the goddess who had already changed her name and appearance. The Temple of the Sewer Venus (Venus of the Cloacine) was a small sanctuary in the Roman Forum, built in honor of the animate river of sewage, the guardian of the city's health. The three-meter cesspool has survived to this day and is used as a storm sewer.

  They relieved themselves collectively. The role of toilet paper was played by sea sponges on sticks, which were dipped in a gutter of water and then washed in vinegar. Communication was not interrupted. There was no division into women's and men's rooms. Known toilets for forty or more seats. It can be said that attending the latrine was a form of entertainment for the citizens. There, without interrupting production, sometimes deals were made, the most important affairs of the city were discussed, people met, got to know each other, admired the frescoes and mosaics. And so that the marble of the seats did not cool the tender sirloin, wealthy citizens sent special slaves, whose backs worked as heating pads for the owners.

  

  
  

  "Swallow's Nests" and Other Wardrobes: Medieval Outhouses

  Alas, there was no sewage system in medieval Europe. In castles, special houses were built with a hole in the floor, similar to birdhouses protruding from the walls. They were called “dress keepers” - “wardrobes”. The fact is that the smell of sewage killed insects. And hooks were hammered into the stone walls to get rid of fleas and moths. The products of knightly vital activity flew from above directly to onlookers.

  

  
  

  In the cities, they got by with chamber pots, which were often poured directly out of the windows onto the street.

  

  
  

  The French expression "gardez l" eau "(" beware of water "), which was shouted three times before throwing out the pot, is even considered one of the versions of the origin of the word" loo "-" restroom. "The second version dates back to the term "bourdaloue".

  Louis Bourdaloux: man, pie and chamber pot

  Searching for the meaning of the word "burdala" on the web gives out contradictory. A 17th century pear and almond cake, a Jesuit preacher from the same period, and an unusual porcelain item that resembles a gravy boat.

  

  
  

  "King of preachers and preacher of kings", professor of rhetoric, philosophy and theology of the Bourgeois Academy, Louis Bourdaloux was known for his fiery eloquence. That is why he was invited to the court of Louis XIV at Versailles eight times, while, according to tradition, the same preacher was invited to the king no more than three times. Contemporaries wrote that this speaker spoke brightly and understandably for any audience, but the exposure of sins usually lasted quite a long time. So much so that the listeners began to think not at all about the meaning of speech, but about what to do with their own bladder. So, according to legend, the burdala (or burdala) - female ducks were invented.

  Necessity is the mother of invention. Imagine voluminous 18th century framed pannier skirts. Now think about how difficult it was even to get through the doors (yes, the skirts were foldable, but still huge and unwieldy).

  

  
  

  Women of that era did not wear underwear. Still, going to the toilet in such outfits became almost unbelievable. A burdalu came to the rescue - small female pots with an anatomical notch. They could be entrusted to a servant, hidden in a sleeve or muff, or taken with you on a journey in a special case. And then, with the help of a servant, stand to urinate without attracting the attention of the public. Even when fashionable skirts decreased in size, it was impossible to refuse such a practical thing. "Daring gravy boats" were used in the 19th century.

  Toilet bowls from invention to mass production

  The first flush toilet was the creation of the poet and engineer, Sir John Harrington, for Elizabeth I. Alas, in 1596 London had no running water or sewerage system, and the product called "Ajax" had many shortcomings. The invention did not catch on. And only after one and a half hundred years the work continued: Alexander Cummings received a patent for a water closet ("water seal" - a valve-type drain) in 1738. A few more modifications, and an almost modern version of the "pull the string" look was done by Thomas Krapper.

  

  
  

  And in 1883, a faience bowl called "Unitas" - "unity", "union" was presented at the London International Exhibition by the owner of a ceramic factory, Thomas Twyford. With the gold medal of the exhibition, the triumphant march of toilets across the planet began.

  Today a water closet is a necessary attribute of a home and ... a museum exhibit. The history of toilets and pots is generously shared by museums in Prague, Kiev, Tokyo, Delhi and South Korean Suwon.

  No less strange today is the story of
  .

  There is an opinion that civilization and sewerage do not exist without each other. The arrangement of toilets is, of course, part of the sewerage system. A modern person can hardly imagine a toilet without a snow-white toilet bowl with a cistern. But where did this miracle of comfort come from, have you ever wondered? It turns out that the history of the appearance of the toilet to this day causes heated debate in the scientific community. The opinions of historians and architects often agree on only one thing, that the roots of this intriguing story lie in ancient times, where we are now mentally transported.

  Deep antiquity

  It is believed that the distant ancestor of the first toilet on earth appeared in Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. e. But in Mohenjo-Daro, archaeologists also discovered a very ancient, only more perfect sewer system. In the lavatories there was a brick box with a wooden seat, which served as a latrine, from which sewage flowed through special grooves outside the settlement.

  There is also a valuable historical find in the storerooms of the British Museum - it is an exquisite toilet seat of the Sumerian queen Shubad, made in the form of a royal throne, decorated with luxurious carvings. This hygiene item was born in 2600. BC e. We travel further into the past ...

  

  According to the results of excavations in Tell el-Amarna, archaeologists have the opinion that in ancient Egypt toilets were not connected into a single sewage system. In the houses of wealthy Egyptians of the XIV century. BC e. the restroom was set up next to the bathroom. Often the toilet was a separate room whitewashed with lime. The centerpiece of it was a brick box with sand at the bottom. On top of the brick container, the Egyptians laid a limestone slab. Apparently, the stove served as a seat. The toilet was emptied as it filled up.

  Scientists working in the Henan province of China are very lucky. During excavations, in the tomb of one of the great rulers of the Western Han dynasty, a stone toilet with a seat, armrests and, most surprisingly, with running water was discovered.

  

  Speaking of sewerage, it is impossible not to mention the oldest engineering structure in Rome Cloaca Maxima, which in the VI century. BC. was an open channel. The purpose of the canal was to drain the soil and drain dirty waters into the river. Every city toilet in Rome had a branch from the cesspool. Seats with a hole were usually placed directly above the channel so that the constantly flowing water flushed all the waste products of the Romans into the Tiber. The Romans considered going to the toilet as a public event, at which quite important matters were sometimes discussed. For the convenience of communication, the seats in the toilets were not separated by partitions.

  Middle Ages

  

  Unfortunately, medieval Europe, unlike ancient civilizations, did not shine with cleanliness and sanitation. The contents of the chamber pots were unceremoniously thrown out of the windows onto the street by the townspeople. Among the nobility, toilet seats decorated with carvings and fabric drapery with a hole made in them and a special reservoir placed underneath were popular as a "portable toilet".

  Shocked by the Parisian stench, the inventor Leonardo da Vinci invented and designed for King Francis I a toilet seat with a flush, vaguely reminiscent of a modern toilet. The unique drawings of the great inventor depicted drainage channels, pipes supplying clean water and ventilation. But among the European nobility it was customary to use "night vases", and often in public. It is known that the French king Louis XIV considered it very impolite to stop an important conversation because of the natural desire to go to the toilet. Continuing the conversation, Louis XIV absolutely did not hesitate to sit down on a special chair with a hole inlaid with precious stones and gilding and relieve himself in the presence of those around him.

  

  By the way, at balls and social events, everything happened in the same way. But if the gentlemen handled the pots without any problems, then the ladies of the court experienced certain inconveniences due to their fluffy skirts. To the delight of secular ladies in the 16th century. Burdala was invented (a small lady's duck, which was easily hidden under numerous skirts).

  Technical breakthrough

  The story goes that in 1596, J. Harington invented a toilet bowl with a cistern for Queen Elizabeth I. The inventor gave his brainchild the name "Ajax" and documented its description in the book (up to listing the materials of manufacture and their cost). The price for a toilet was decent, but this is not why such a useful household item did not become widespread, but because of the lack of sewage and running water in London.

  

  Valve flush toilet was invented in 1738. A little later, A. Cummings developed a water seal, which helps to solve the problem of eliminating unpleasant odors. And in 1777. J. Preser completed the design of the flush cistern with a valve and a handle. In 1778, the inventor J. Brahma invented the design of a cast-iron toilet bowl with a hinged lid. Toilets made of enamelled steel and earthenware appeared much later. In the history of the invention of toilets, T. Krepper became more famous than others, who invented a system of dosed drainage of water from a tank located at a height ("pull the chain"). In addition, a curved drain pipe with a water seal was used for the first time in Krepper's drawings.

  Mass production

  

  The serial production of toilet bowls began in 1909. by the Spanish company "Unitas". At the very beginning they were sold under the rather long name "hygienic ceramic products", but over time the name was replaced by the short "toilet bowl".

  Civilization begins with sewers. The history of the emergence of the toilet bowl and its "ancestors" goes back to ancient times.

  

  According to most historians and architects, the first prototype of the toilet appeared around 3000 BC. in Mesopotamia. Slightly younger than them are those found during excavations in Mohenjo-Daro (on the banks of the Indus River) and represented a more complex sewer system: sewage from latrines made near the outer walls of houses flowed into street ditches, along which they went outside the city. The latrine was a brick box with a wooden seat. The British Museum storekeepers keep a find no less valuable and ancient. The carved throne-chair of the Sumerian queen Shubad from the tomb in Ur dates back to 2600 BC.

  

  As for the ancient Egyptians, their toilets, the idea of ​​which we have mainly from the excavations in Tell el-Amarna (14th century BC) - the city of Pharaoh Akhenaten, were not connected to the sewage system. In wealthy houses, behind the bathroom, there was a lavatory, whitewashed with lime. It contained a limestone slab placed on a brick box with sand, which had to be periodically cleaned out. In one of the ancient Egyptian burials in Thebes, dating back to the same century as the city of the famous pharaoh, a portable wooden toilet was discovered, under which an earthen pot was placed.

  

  Archaeologists working in the Henan province excavating the tomb of one of the rulers of the western Han dynasty, which ruled China from 206 BC. to 24 BC, discovered a toilet. With a stone seat, comfortable armrests and running water supplied to it.

  

  And, of course, in the history of toiletry, you cannot bypass the Eternal City - the main metropolis of antiquity - Rome. One of its oldest engineering structures is Cloaca Maxima (from Latin Cluo - to clean). It was originally an open canal built in the 6th century BC. and served both for draining marshy soil, and for the descent of sewage. Through it, all the contents were lowered into the Tiber River. A branch of the cloaca went to each of the toilets, and then returned to the main highway. A seat with a hole was placed directly above the channel, so the flowing water constantly washed away waste products. For centuries, Cloaca Maxima has remained the most advanced sewerage system in the world. By the 1st century AD, the population of the city had already reached a million, and therefore the cloaca had to be expanded in places up to 7 meters; workers who monitored her condition swam on it in a boat.

  

  It is interesting that, like bath procedures, going to the toilet for a Roman was a public event. The seats stood in a circle and were not separated by partitions. Therefore, the cheerful murmur was constantly interspersed with conversations about the fate of the empire, and Roman businessmen dragged important clients not to the bathhouse, as it is now, but to the toilet. Heated seats were also an important achievement of the Romans. The solution was simple - the seat was heated by the robes attached to the toilet. In turn, changing from one seat to another, the slave maintained the desired temperature with the warmth of his soft seat.

  

  In the Middle Ages, Europeans used to throw the contents of a chamber pot right out of the window. The London authorities found an original way out: they began to hire people who had to walk the streets and, noticing how someone leaned out with a pot, shouting: "Watch out!"

  

  

  The streets were drowned in mud and shit so much that in the muddy roads there was no way to walk along them. It was then, according to the chronicles that have come down to us, that stilts appeared in many German cities, the "spring shoes" of a city dweller, without which it was simply impossible to move along the streets. The German fashion for stilts, with the help of which it was only possible to move along the dirty streets, spread so widely that in France and Belgium in the Middle Ages there were even competitions on stilts between two camps, into which the inhabitants were divided.

  In Paris, in 1270, a law was passed, under threat of a fine, forbidding "to pour out slops and sewage from the upper windows of houses." The famous inventor Leonardo da Vinci, invited to the court of King Francis 1, was so shocked by the Parisian stench that he designed a toilet with a flush especially for his patron. In the drawings of the great seer, the pipes supplying water, and the drainage channels, and ventilation shafts are indicated. And although, as in the case of a helicopter and a submarine, Leonardo was centuries ahead of his time, the drawings of his toilet never materialized in practice. At the same time, a kind of "portable toilet" was popular among the nobility - a a reservoir that can be removed from the inside. Furniture makers were sophisticated, veiling toilet seats under chairs, banquettes, desks and even bookshelves! The entire structure was usually richly decorated with wooden carvings, fabric drapery, and gilding.

  

  The next time Sir John Harrington thought about the civilized disposal of sewage. In 1596, he built an original "night vase" for Queen Elizabeth of England, which did not need to be taken out and cleaned regularly. She washed herself on the spot, with water from a tank connected to the top. Actually, this is where the history of the flush system began. Unlike running water, where water is constantly poured, flush water saves water - which in the palace of the Queen of England had to be raised to the chambers with buckets. True, apart from running water, there was no sewage system in the palace - so Harrington had to attach a special container underneath his toilet bowl. These problems delayed the development of toilet technology for another 200 years.

  

  Another invention of the enlightened European aristocrats was "potting techniques." So, the French king Louis 14 (1638-1715) considered it impolite to interrupt a conversation because of such a trifle as the desire to go to the toilet. The monarch sat down on a chair with a hole in the middle and a pot under it. This "toilet" was made of expensive porcelain, trimmed with precious stones, gilded and exquisite patterns. Catherine de Medici held receptions in a similar way. And when her husband died, she changed the color of the velvet covering the toilet seat to black, apparently so that everyone could appreciate the extent of her grief.

  

  

  Ordinary aristocrats at that time also did not disdain to use the pot in front of all honest people.

  

  Right at the balls, the servant brought a pot in need of a gentleman or lady, which they immediately used for its intended purpose.

  

  But if men handled pots without any problems, then ladies in lush outfits had to endure some inconvenience. Therefore, in the 16th century, a burdala was invented for them - elongated pots, or vases, which could be easily hidden under numerous skirts.

  

  In 1775, London watchmaker Alexander Cumming created the first flush toilet. Three years later, another inventor, Joseph Bramah, invented a cast-iron toilet bowl and flip top. This toilet has already been a success. Toilets were also made of enamelled steel. One such can be seen in the Hofburg, the Vienna residence of the Habsburgs. Soon, earthenware toilets appeared - it was more convenient to wash them. In 1830, Asiatic cholera, which spread along with the water spoiled by sewage, took the lives of many Europeans. Another misfortune was typhoid fever. At this point, the governments became thoughtful and decided to fork out for the sewage system, and with it, for comfortable toilets. Most famous in the toilet building was Thomas Krepper, who gave the world the "pull the chain" system. It was he who used a curved drain pipe with a water seal, which protected the toilet room from direct contact with the sewer system.

  

  Well, the mass production of toilets began in 1909 in Spain. This noble cause was taken up by a company called Unitas, which means union and unification. At first they were called hygienic stoneware. Over time, the too long name was replaced by a short "toilet" - after the name of the manufacturer. Many glorious minds have worked on the simple, ordinary-looking toilet that we use today.

  

  

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