Where’s the loo? An analysis of the spatial distribution of private latrines in Pompeii

Abstract

The location of sanitation facilities has important social and cultural implications concerning waste management. The aims of this paper are to (1) examine the city-wide distribution of downpipes and latrines to determine if the distribution reflects a pattern in urban development; (2) evaluate the hypothesis that almost every house in Pompeii had a latrine; and (3) evaluate the hypothesis that most latrines were found in kitchens. Several seasons of field work have led to a precise understanding of private latrines and downpipes in Pompeii. The spatial distribution of downpipes and latrines across Pompeii indicates a relationship between properties and sanitation features. The location of Roman latrines, historically, has been attributed to residential kitchens, but new data indicate that latrines are also commonly found near entrances to residences in dedicated small rooms. Business sanitation facilities are closely associated with downpipes from upper stories. The patterns are statistically tested. Chi-square results indicate that while there is a significant association between residential latrines and kitchens, there is no association between kitchen latrines and any size class of houses. For residential latrines, there is a correlation between small houses and front entrances, and between medium-sized houses and rear entrances. For businesses, there is a significant association between downpipes and the front room of workshops. Studying downpipes in conjunction with latrines provides the opportunity to increase our knowledge of Roman sanitation.