Royal flush? 2,700-year-old toilet found in ancient Jerusalem mansion

JERUSALEM — Archaeologists in Israel discovered a toilet in an ancient Jerusalem mansion dating more than 2,700 years ago, authorities said Tuesday.

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Private bathrooms were considered a luxury in the city, and the smooth, carved limestone commode was found in a rectangular cabin in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem, the Times of Israel reported.

In the palace, the toilet seat, with a hole in the center, was designed to be very comfortable, according to The Jerusalem Post. Under the toilet there was a septic tank, where remains of pottery, animal bones and soils were collected, the newspaper reported.

“At the time, a private toilet in a house was extremely rare,” archaeologist Yaakov Billig, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israeli Antiquities Authority, told The Jerusalem Post. “Most people were just forced to find someplace private to relieve themselves. Around 1,000 years later, a group of rabbis in the Talmud discuss who is to be considered rich. Different rabbis suggest different answers, and one of them, Rabbi Yossi, says, ‘One who has a toilet next to his table.’”

The estate offered a view over the Temple Mount. Billig said it may have been a residence of a king of Judah.

Inside the cubicle, archaeologists found 30 to 40 bowls, according to Smithsonian magazine. Billig speculated that the bowls might have contained aromatic oils or incense, which probably served as ancient air fresheners.

“At the time, such pits were also used as garbage cans,” Billig told the Post. “The vast majority of the vessels found were bowls. It could be that they were some kind of disposable dishes, but also that they were used as containers for aromatic oil and were put in the toilet to improve the smell. We hope that some further analysis on the residues will provide answers.”

Previously, archaeologists found other toilets in Jerusalem, including one at a building known as the House of Ahiel. In 2016, experts announced the discovery of a separate commode in the ancient city of Tel Lachish, about 40 miles southwest of Jerusalem.

Before the modern flush toilet was invented in 1596, people relied on a variety of toilet technologies, Smithsonian magazine reported in 2014. Most used communal outhouses, chamber pots or simply holes in the ground, the magazine reported.

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