I imagine that living on Orkney may have been pretty bleak in ancient history, but believe it or not, they had toilets that were cleared by running water as far back as 2500BC. Pakistan at the same kind of time had toilets with drains that were linked to other houses and cleared by running water. So that all occurred many hundreds of years before the Romans completed their plumbing and took all the kudos, the big showy bastards. Below is a picture of the remains of a toilet from the 8th century BC found in City of David, Jerusalem. Yeah, I know it just looks like a rock with a hole in it. That’s because it is.

In the 18th century more modern bogs appear in Crete, Egypt, Persia and the Roman Empire. But, it wasn’t until the 19th century that the throne type toilets that we English are so fond of came about. In fact, the squatting type of loos are still in the majority around the world. Apparently squatting while you squeeze one out is better for the prevention and the treatment of piles. So there you go.

☛ Look Here Next: Hieronymus Bosch — Surreal Before Surrealism