The Archaeology of Sanitation in Roman Italy - (Studies in the History of Greece and Rome) by Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow (Paperback)

About the Book

"The Romans developed sophisticated methods for managing hygiene, including aqueducts for moving water from one place to another, sewers for removing used water from baths and runoff from walkways and roads, and public and private latrines. Through the archeological record, graffiti, sanitation-related paintings, and literature, Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow explores this little-known world of bathrooms and sewers, offering unique insights into Roman sanitation, engineering, urban planning and development, hygiene, and public health. Focusing on the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, and Rome, Koloski-Ostrow's work challenges common perceptions of Romans' social customs, beliefs about health, tolerance for filth in their cities, and attitudes toward privacy. In charting the complex history of sanitary customs from the late republic to the early empire, Koloski-Ostrow reveals the origins of waste removal technologies and their implications for urban health, past and present"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

The Romans developed sophisticated methods for managing hygiene, including aqueducts for moving water from one place to another, sewers for removing used water from baths and runoff from walkways and roads, and public and private latrines. Through the archeological record, graffiti, sanitation-related paintings, and literature, Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow explores this little-known world of bathrooms and sewers, offering unique insights into Roman sanitation, engineering, urban planning and development, hygiene, and public health. Focusing on the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, and Rome, Koloski-Ostrow's work challenges common perceptions of Romans' social customs, beliefs about health, tolerance for filth in their cities, and attitudes toward privacy. In charting the complex history of sanitary customs from the late republic to the early empire, Koloski-Ostrow reveals the origins of waste removal technologies and their implications for urban health, past and present.

Review Quotes

"[A]. . . passionate account of the toilets and sewers of Roman Italy." -- Times Literary Supplement

"[Professor Koloski-Ostrow's] book is a dense scholarly examination of sanitation in Ancient Rome, but is also chalked full of thought-provoking insights and insightful research about everyday life's most private behavior." -- United Nations of Roma Victrix

"A spirited, insightful, and eagerly-awaited monograph. . . . Effectively makes the case for an interdisciplinary approach to toilets and sanitation in any time period." -- Classical Journal

"An important contribution to a larger body of work focused on water systems and bathing in the Roman world. . . . Koloski-Ostrow does not merely assess whether sanitation and hygiene practices in Roman Italy were effective, based on modern sanitation ideals, but discusses how they may have been viewed in light of the time and the society in which they were built and considers what they can tell us about daily life in a Roman city in Italy."--Isis

"Extremely helpful for anyone wanting to approach the study of ancient sanitation and is essential for any serious student of the Ancient Roman World." -- Canadian Journal of History

"If shelf space allows only one book on Roman toilets, this is it." -- CHOICE

"Invaluable. . . . A thoughtful investigation of an essential aspect of Roman civilization. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal

"Like all the best ancient history, [this book] provides rigorous engagement with our own assumptions about then and about now." -- The Spectator