Bathing Through The Ages
Obviously, there were no power showers in medieval times, but exactly how basic was bathing for our ancestors?
The Stone Age
Back in Paleolithic times (also known as the stone age), cleanliness was not considered important. There were no baths, no showers, and no soaps or scents. Or, to put it another way, if you go back a few thousand years, your ancestors were really, really smelly.
The Medieval Era
Your medieval ancestors were a bit cleaner, but prone to superstition. One superstition was that washing and bathing allowed the devil to enter the body.
On top of that, doctors thought it was unhealthy to allow water to touch the body – especially during the winter months where it was thought that it could lead to serious illness or even death! So, unsurprisingly, bathing was looked upon with suspicion. It was also viewed as a sensual habit, carried out by those who enjoyed sexual debauchery.
This means, unless your medieval ancestors were sexually debauched, they probably scored pretty high on the stinkometer.
The Roman Times
As part of the long reply to the question, “What did the Romans ever do for us?”, I give you… Roman baths. In Roman times, public baths were frequently visited for bathing and washing.
However, as they weren’t free, not everyone could afford them. The Romans also had public toilets, but those consisted of long planks with holes cut out of them. These toilets were considered a social meeting place, where people could chat while doing their business. Communal sponges were passed around so that everybody could clean up!
So, while the Romans were cleaner than the people of previous ages, their habits were still fairly stomach-churning.
Let’s be thankful we live in the 21st century and we have fantastic bathroom designs to choose from!
For more information why give us a call on 0141 771 3640 or book a bathroom home design visit here at My Beautiful Bathroom