35. Piss Pots Were Big in Ancient Rome
In addition to cleaning their mouths, ancient Romans put pee to a variety of other uses. The laundry trade, for example, relied heavily on stale urine. In giant public laundries known as fullonica, dirty clothes were placed in vats, where they were soaked in stale urine. Then workers – usually slaves – would stomp on them until the stains came out.
Other industries, such as hide tanning and agriculture, used not only urine, but urine mixed with feces. Urine was so important in ancient Romans’ daily lives and their economy, that collecting pee was a big business. As a result, public chamber pots or big vats where anybody could stop and take a piss, were commonplace.