'Help! My Preschooler Absolutely Hates Getting Dressed'
Issue on British Airways flight one of two incidents in recent days to affect the same type of aircraft involved in the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed 241 people on board
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33 minutes ago
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What did ancient Rome smell like? BO, rotting corpses and raw sewage for starters ...
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The roar of the arena crowd, the bustle of the Roman forum, the grand temples, the Roman army in red with glistening shields and armor — when people imagine ancient Rome, they often think of its sights and sounds. We know less, however, about the scents of ancient Rome. We cannot, of course, go back and sniff to find out. But the literary texts, physical remains of structures, objects, and environmental evidence (such as plants and animals) can offer clues. So what might ancient Rome have smelled like? In describing the smells of plants, author and naturalist Pliny the Elder uses words such as iucundus (agreeable), acutus (pungent), vis (strong), or dilutus (weak). None of that language is particularly evocative in its power to transport us back in time, unfortunately. But we can probably safely assume that, in many areas, Rome was likely pretty dirty and rank-smelling. Property owners did not commonly connect their toilets to the sewers in large Roman towns and cities — perhaps fearing rodent incursions or odors. Roman sewers were more like storm drains, and served to take standing water away from public areas. Professionals collected feces for fertilizer and urine for cloth processing from domestic and public latrines and cesspits. Chamber pots were also used, which could later be dumped in cesspits. This waste disposal process was just for those who could afford to live in houses; many lived in small, non-domestic spaces, barely furnished apartments, or on the streets. A common whiff in the Roman city would have come from the animals and the waste they created. Roman bakeries frequently used large lava stone mills (or "querns") turned by mules or donkeys. Then there was the smell of pack animals and livestock being brought into town for slaughter or sale. The large "stepping-stones" still seen in the streets of Pompeii were likely so people could cross streets and avoid the assorted feculence that covered the paving stones. Disposal of corpses (animals and human) was not formulaic. Depending on the class of the person who had died, people might well have been left out in the open without cremation or burial. Bodies, potentially decaying, were a more common sight in ancient Rome than now. Suetonius, writing in the first century CE, famously wrote of a dog carrying a severed human hand to the dining table of the Emperor Vespasian. In a world devoid of today's modern scented products — and daily bathing by most of the population — ancient Roman settlements would have smelt of body odor. Classical literature has some recipes for toothpaste and even deodorants. However, many of the deodorants were to be used orally (chewed or swallowed) to stop one's armpits smelling. Related: How did people clean themselves before soap was invented? One was made by boiling golden thistle root in fine wine to induce urination (which was thought to flush out odor). The Roman baths would likely not have been as hygienic as they may appear to tourists visiting today. A small tub in a public bath could hold between eight and 12 bathers. The Romans had soap, but it wasn't commonly used for personal hygiene. Olive oil (including scented oil) was preferred. It was scraped off the skin with a strigil (a bronze curved tool). This oil and skin combination was then discarded (maybe even slung at a wall). Baths had drains — but as oil and water don't mix, it was likely pretty grimy. The Romans did have perfumes and incense. The invention of glassblowing in the late first century BCE (likely in Roman-controlled Jerusalem) made glass readily available, and glass perfume bottles are a common archaeological find. Animal and plant fats were infused with scents — such as rose, cinnamon, iris, frankincense and saffron — and were mixed with medicinal ingredients and pigments. The roses of Paestum in Campania (southern Italy) were particularly prized, and a perfume shop has even been excavated in the city's Roman forum. The trading power of the vast Roman empire meant spices could be sourced from India and the surrounding regions. There were warehouses for storing spices such as pepper, cinnamon and myrrh in the centre of Rome. In a recent Oxford Journal of Archaeology article, researcher Cecilie Brøns writes that even ancient statues could be perfumed with scented oils. Sources frequently do not describe the smell of perfumes used to anoint the statues, but a predominantly rose-based perfume is specifically mentioned for this purpose in inscriptions from the Greek city of Delos (at which archaeologists have also identified perfume workshops). Beeswax was likely added to perfumes as a stabiliser. Enhancing the scent of statues (particularly those of gods and goddesses) with perfumes and garlands was important in their veneration and worship. RELATED STORIES —Roman-era 'fast food' discovered in ancient trash heap on Mallorca —How is Roman concrete still standing after 2,000 years? —Does charcoal toothpaste really whiten teeth? The ancient city would have smelt like human waste, wood smoke, rotting and decay, cremating flesh, cooking food, perfumes and incense, and many other things. It sounds awful to a modern person, but it seems the Romans did not complain about the smell of the ancient city that much. Perhaps, as historian Neville Morley has suggested, to them these were the smells of home or even of the height of civilization. This edited article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Five-bedroom bungalow in Worcester could make way for self-build
A FIVE-bedroom house in Worcester could be knocked down to make way for a self-build project. Plans to demolish the bungalow in Whittington Road, near the junction with London Road, have been submitted to Worcester City Council. Read more Folding bike hire scheme could be coming to Worcester City school asks permission to cut back tree Housing plans for village labelled 'overdevelopment' The applicants want to build a new two-storey, five-bedroom house and garage, with a lower ground floor at the back of the house, 'taking advantage of the site's natural slope towards the south'. Planning documents say the proposed house would use a 'noise-controlled glazing system' to reduce traffic noise from the A44.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Schoolchildren across Bolton lead by example as they clean up local parks
Schoolchildren from across Bolton led by example as they cleaned up local parks. Three schools in the Leverhulme Academy Trust joined forces with local volunteers to carry out a major community litter pick to protect the environment and give back to the community. As part of their ongoing work to develop climate action plans, pupil leaders from Rivington and Blackrod High School, Harper Green High School, and Lostock Primary School collaborated to tackle litter in key community green spaces. READ MORE: £400 worth of drugs found during Bolton litter pick Westhoughton: Fly-tipping is out of control say litter-pickers Bolton litter pickers clear hundreds of bags already in 2023 These pupil leaders, who play an active role in their schools' Sustainability Leadership Teams, have been instrumental in leading audits, surveys and environmental initiatives alongside school staff. Following the success and enthusiasm generated during the Great British Spring Clean, the students were inspired to take their environmental efforts a step further. Together, they took to the streets and parks around their schools to extend their litter-picking campaign beyond the school grounds and into the wider community. The day began at Rivington and Blackrod High School, where pupils cleaned up Lever Park. The group then moved on to Tempest Park near Lostock Primary School, before finishing their day at Harper Green Fields. Alongside pupils and staff, the initiative was supported by Bolton Council staff, local volunteers and members of the Bolton Borough Litter Picking Volunteer Group. Vicki Guest, director of primary education and sustainability lead for Leverhulme Academy Trust, praised the collaboration, saying: 'It was a fantastic day of teamwork, civic responsibility and personal growth for our pupils. "They showed real pride in their local areas and demonstrated the power of pupil leadership. Huge thanks to all the pupils and staff who took part. "A special thank you to Gareth Pike from Love Bolton Hate Litter for providing the equipment and delivering the safety briefing, and to Karen Liptrot and her amazing team of community volunteers, whose ongoing dedication continues to inspire us. We look forward to working with them again in future projects.' The event highlighted how young people, empowered by leadership opportunities and community support, are making a tangible difference in their environment — one litter pick at a time.
