By: The Scribe on May, 2007
While the modern convenience of toilet paper is often taken for granted, the human history of toilet paper actually began relatively late. In the 6th century AD, wealthy individuals living in China often used paper for “sanitary” purposes – even though the standard paper making process had been perfected several centuries before. Regardless, there are several documents written by ancient scholars about the Chinese use of paper for toilet-related tasks. In 589 AD, the scholar Yan Zhitiu wrote that “paper on which there are quotations or commentaries from Five Classics or the names of sages, I dare not use for toilet purposes.”
During the Tang Dynasty, an Arab traveler to China in 851 AD recorded his thoughts on Chinese bathroom habits: “They are not careful about cleanliness, and they do not wash themselves with water after they have done their necessities, but they only wipe themselves with paper.” Notably, since ancient times in Middle Eastern cultures, the left hand has been traditionally considered unclean – because that was the hand people used to wipe themselves with after attending to their, ah, “natural faculties”.
It wasn’t until the late 14th century during the Song Dynasty that the Chinese emperor commissioned large 2ft x 3ft paper sheets to use after his toilet-related activities. However, even after the invention of the flush toilet in 1596, commercially produced toilet paper wouldn’t be available for another 300 years!
So, what did humankind do before they had soft tissues to clean their bottoms? The ancient Greeks made use of stones and clay, while the ancient Romans equipped their public toilets with a sponge on a stick, resting in a bucket of brine. If you were rich, you could use wool.
For those living in the cold, northern regions of the world, tundra moss was readily available during the summer, and snow would do the trick for the rest of the year. Colonial America had an interesting habit as well: they used cobs of corn, or pages from mail order catalogues that they would hang on a wall near their toilets. In fact, anything from leaves, to mussel shells, to pieces of fur were used by various cultures around the world, from the earliest of times until toilet paper became a readily available commodity.
In 1857, Joseph Gayetty sold the first factory-made toilet paper called “Gayetty’s Medicated Paper” in the United States, and these were single sheets of moistened paper that were medicated with aloe. Each sheet was printed with Gayetty’s name, and while it did take some time to catch on with the general public, it was apparently from that day forward that the world’s bottoms would never be the same.
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On a Roll: A Sheet-by-sheet History of Toilet Paper
Tomorrow: More ancient goodness!
By: The Scribe on May, 2007
The first reference to a list of wonders of the world appears in the writings of Herodotus, a Greek historian from the 5th century BC, but it was not until several decades later that other historians would actually write about the greatest monuments of the world at that time.
In the 2nd century BC, the ancient Greek writer and poet Antipater of Sidon compiled a list of the Seven Wonders of the World in a poem, written around 140 BC; both Antipater’s poem and another list, titled De septem orbis spactaculis – traditionally and incorrectly attributed to the Greek engineer Philo of Byzantium – are considered to be authoritative sources on the physical descriptions of the ancient monuments. The author of De septem remains unknown, as well as the date of composition: it could date anywhere from around 200 BC to as late as the 5th C AD.
The Chief Librarian of the ancient Library at Alexandria in Egypt, Callimachus of Cyrene, wrote a treatise named “A Collection of Wonders Around the World”, however – like thousands of other documents – all that survives is the title, as it was lost in the destruction of the Alexandria Library.
A final list of the seven ancient wonders was compiled during the Middle Ages, at which point many of the monuments had already disappeared. Notably, since the list originated out of early Greek travelogues, all the sites that were included in the list came from locations that were easily accessible by Greek tourists. This is why many sites in the Near East or even further down the Nile in Egypt were seemingly overlooked – they simply were not easily accessed by Greek travelers.
What is different, however, is that Antipater’s original list did not include the Pharos of Alexandria, but instead listed the Ishtar Gate in Babylon. Somehow in the finalization of the list, this monument was changed, though it may have been included in other documents now lost. Of the seven ancient wonders, it is notable that only one has survived into present day: the Great Pyramid of Giza. Five other wonders were destroyed by natural disasters, and the last monument was the victim of deliberate arson.
It may be surprising for many to learn that most of the Seven Wonders did not co-exist – they were simply recognized by ancient writers as incredible feats of human ability. So, for the next seven days, the Ancient Standard is going to take you on a tour of these seven ancient wonders…!
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Tomorrow: The Pyramid (of course)
By: The Scribe on April, 2007
If there is any doubt as to the accuracy of the old adage “man’s best friend”, one simply need consider the fact that ancient dog burials have been documented on every major landmass in the world, with the exception of Antarctica.
In fact, the earliest documented case of domestication occurs in a grave from Germany, dating to around 12,000 BC – and not only did the grave contain a dog, but also two human skeletons, suggesting that even at this early date, domesticated dogs had become an integral part of everyday human life and companionship.
The earliest evidence for domesticated dogs in North America dates to about 8,000 BC. In Illinois, four dog burials were excavated at the Koster site: each dog was lain on its side in a shallow grave, and the graves themselves were located in an area of the village where residents buried the remains of adults and children.
The Bluegrass site in Warrick County, Indiana, contained quite a number of dog burials from the Middle Archaic period (ca. 6,000-3,500 BC). These dogs were small and light, similar in build to a mid-range terrier.
Although there are innumerable examples of dog burials from across the globe, it is interesting to note that most dogs are buried near or with human remains, and the majority of the time seem to have been buried with great care – placed carefully on their side or in a curling position, as if they were simply asleep, a testimony to the close companionship shared between man and dog during life.
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Tomorrow: The mysteries of Viking navigation
