Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society How Filthy Were The Romans?
Jan 2, 2026
Join historian Alexander Meddings, an expert on ancient Rome, as he dives into the surprisingly complex world of Roman cleanliness. They explore the dual role of public baths as social centers and hygiene facilities. Discover the shocking use of urine for laundry and the infamous communal sponge-on-a-stick debate! Meddings also delves into Rome's sewage systems, the challenges of water supply, and even the bizarre oral hygiene habits. With a mix of bath culture and urban sanitation, it's a fascinating peek into the smelly side of history.
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Baths Were Social Leisure Centres
- Roman baths were social leisure centres combining gyms, libraries, food and sex rather than purely hygiene facilities.
- This multifunctional role made bathing a public, social ritual more than a private cleaning practice.
Bathing Didn’t Guarantee Cleanliness
- Frequent bathing didn't equal hygiene because bath water was often stagnant and rarely fully replaced.
- Stagnant pools became breeding grounds for diseases like malaria and cholera according to Alexander Meddings.
Urine Was Used To Clean Clothes
- Fulleries cleaned and bleached clothes using ammonia derived from urine, making them foul-smelling workplaces.
- Cities sometimes channelled latrine runoff to fulleries to supply that urine-based cleaning process.