KASKAL Rivista di storia, ambienti e culture del Vicino Oriente Antico
Nuova serie

Rivista | KASKAL
Fascicolo | Volume 1 | Nuova serie
Articolo | Bathrooms and Toilets in Babylon-Merkes: Speculation or Reality?

Bathrooms and Toilets in Babylon-Merkes: Speculation or Reality?

Abstract

This paper examines the rooms with drainage facilities of the Neo-Babylonian dwellings in Babylon-Merkes, which Reuther interprets as bathrooms or toilets in his excavation report. This interpretation will be reappraised by asking the following questions: is it possible to understand Neo-Babylonian attitudes to hygiene in dwellings in Babylon-Merkes, to identify specific rooms in which measures were undertaken influenced by such attitudes, and to link such precautions to a specific social class? If not, can another interpretation for drained rooms be proposed relying on the Akkadian words used for individual rooms and features? The final aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the potential functions of drainage systems in residential areas.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Presentato: 18 Luglio 2024 | Accettato: 09 Ottobre 2024 | Pubblicato 19 Dicembre 2024 | Lingua: en

Keywords SoakawayDrained roomsNeo-Babylonian dwellingsHygieneDrainage system


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