The Romans were athletic but short

A tour of Roman Ephesus left me with an interesting picture of the ancient Romans. The relatively low stone doorways suggested they were considerably shorter than us, but the height of the steps leading to the amphitheatres showed how athletic they must have been. A single riser was halfway to my knee.

They were fantastic plumbers. In fact, the best-preserved aspect of Roman Ephesus is the water and sewer system. The piles of clay pipe laid bare by excavation look much like the type still used for drainage today, and one can imagine oneself back in the yard at Rona.

The most beautiful public building our tour guide showed us in Ephesus was a communal public toilet. The forty or so keyhole-shaped potty seats ranged along two walls of stone benches are proof that the Romans enjoyed doing their business together. The seats were engineered to maintain optimum temperatures, by making use of streams of water, warm or cool, as the season demanded. Meanwhile, running water in the channels below kept things moving along. 

Communal toileting also called for – er -- camouflage. No problem for Roman engineers. In the centre of the biggest lavatory room, a large noisy fountain soothed the ear. Archaeologists have learned that to mask odors, fragrant plants such as thyme, eucalyptus, and frankincense were employed. To please the eye, walls and floors were decorated with beautiful mosaics. Not surprising, since the public lavatories attached to Roman baths were places of conversation and more than one kind of business. Archaeological evidence confirms that communal toileting was also customary in individual homes.

We know that toward the end of the Roman empire, families were plagued by divorce and worse. To raise morale, a campaign was launched to glorify the family. Inspiring slogans promoted Roman ideals. Perhaps this was one: the family that goes together stays together.