Archaeologists excavated the ruins of the palace in the city of Yueyang and were surprised to find a flush toilet. Press release from the Archaeological Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
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Archaeologists in China discovered a flush toilet between 2,200 and 2,400 years old.
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The antique toilet is “deceptively advanced” because of the water drainage system.
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“Everyone on site was surprised, and then we all burst out laughing,” said one member of the excavation team.
Archaeologists in China have discovered a flush toilet that is likely one of the oldest ever discovered, China’s state news agency reported earlier this week.
While excavating two large buildings in the ruins of the palace in the city of Yueyang, researchers from the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences were surprised to make this discovery.
The age of the toilet is estimated at 2,200 to 2,400 years, from the Warring States period to the beginning of the Han Dynasty. The find is fascinating as it is believed that the invention of the modern toilet flush came from Victorian England.
Fan Mingyang, an ancient tool design expert, said the toilet is “deceptively advanced” due to the water drainage system used these days, according to China’s Global Times newspaper.
A toilet bowl, other broken parts and a pipe leading to an outdoor pit were discovered last summer. The “luxury object” was likely used only by high-ranking members of the palace found in China’s Shaanxi province, Liu Rui, a member of the excavation team, told China Daily.
He added that staff had to pour water into the toilet bowl each time they used it.
“It is the first and only flush toilet ever excavated in China. Everyone at the site was surprised, and then we all burst out laughing,” Liu told the newspaper.
Analysis of the surrounding soil can also provide clues to the diet and eating habits of ancient people. The larger archaeological excavation at the palace adds “great value to the study of the arrangement of the capitals” of ancient dynasties, the institute said in a press release.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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