Archaeologists Find Surprising Bathroom Fixture at Ancient Site
"These flush toilets are the first of their kind," Kim Gyeong Yeol, an archaeologist with the service, explained to Live Science. 'They wouldn't have worked like modern-day flushing toilets do; rather, someone, a servant perhaps, would have poured water into them to allow them to flush. The water would have then carried the waste through a drain that emptied out at the end.' Kim added that the fixture, which was used by the prince and the women closest to him, was hooked up to a device which "directly discharge[d] human waste into the river through a drain."
"That [it] directly discharges it into the river seems to have a hierarchical meaning," the archaeologist mused.
The kingdom, dubbed 'Donggung' or 'Crown Prince,' was erected in 674 A.D. during the first chapters of the country's "unified Silla" period, which dated from around 668 A.D. to 935 A.D. This most recent excavation is just the latest in a long series of searches conducted on the grounds. Previous expeditions have revealed 26 buildings to date, as well as a wealth of artifacts such as bowls, plates, and bricks decorated with a flower pattern.These early flush toilets are the earliest known examples of such an invention in Korea, but they were used in other countries prior to 674 A.D. According to a 2016 study, Pakistan introduced flush toilets sometime between 2,600 B.C. and 1900 B.C., around the time the Egyptian pyramids were being built. These toilets were connected to drains, which emptied into a more advanced sewage system closer to those in use today. In 2021, scientists excavating a site in Jerusalem found a 2,700-year-old private toilet standing above a septic tank. The fixture was carved in limestone and used exclusively by 'rich people,' according to researchers.
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Newsweek
a day ago
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She posted a warning on TikTok advising others not to take a DNA test unless they were mentally prepared for what might come. The video struck a chord, racking up 12,500 likes and nearly 500,000 views. Shortly after, she began receiving messages from a woman who claimed to be her first cousin—and who knew Valerio's biological father. The woman was Egyptian and lived in Abu Dhabi. "That's when I found out that my mother had kept a secret for 30 years—a story she never intended to share with anyone, especially not with me," she said. "My relationship with my mother has been complicated since I found out. I won't lie, I went through a mix of anger, sadness, and confusion. I felt betrayed, mostly because this wasn't just any secret... it was my entire identity. But with time, I've tried to understand her perspective. I know her choices were shaped by fear and circumstances I may never fully grasp." Katherine Valerio's DNA results. 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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Campaign launches to protect endangered badgers being killed on roads in B.C.'s Interior
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New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
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