Ancient tribe's fatal faeces
By Hayley Birch
Ancient civilisations aren’t generally known for their cleanliness. Particularly when it comes to bathroom behaviour. Take the Romans for example. You may see them as a fairly sanitary bunch, but communal sponges are hardly the most hygienic substitutes for toilet paper.
Still, the Romans pale into insignificance in the grime stakes when compared to the Essenes, an ancient and deeply religious Jewish sect, who lived in the ancient city of Qumran – a site close to where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Archaeologists have confirmed that this grubby lot pretty much killed themselves off 2,000 years ago by wallowing in their own excrement.
Far from being fundamentally filthy, the Essenes prided themselves on their exacting standards of hygiene. They followed directions given in two of the Scrolls, which stated that latrines should not be visible from the city. And archaeologists have now identified sites at least 500 metres outside the settlement that fit the bill – they contain the preserved eggs of human intestinal parasites.
Biblical scholar James Tabor described how the Essenes toilet practices were ruled by their religion. “These people are so holy, that on the Sabbath day they won’t even use the toilet, because on the Sabbath one can’t go outside the settlement.” When you did manage to make it to the toilet you were instructed to “carry a paddle or a shovel with you, use the toilet and then cover it up”.
Yet the Essenes were so unhealthy that hardly any of them made it past their fortieth birthdays – just 6%, compared to 40% in nearby Jericho at the same time. Why? Because, revolting as it may sound, leaving your faeces out to dry in the sun is actually much more hygienic than burying them. Many pathogens can live for up to a year in the soil. So every time the Essenes went to relieve themselves they were wading around in a breeding ground of worms and bacteria. Even worse, they were then required to wash in a communal water tank, which was seldom changed, before returning to the camp. No wonder they were dying off like flies. It makes Glastonbury look almost exemplary.
To read more about Hayley and view more of her articles click here.
Still, the Romans pale into insignificance in the grime stakes when compared to the Essenes, an ancient and deeply religious Jewish sect, who lived in the ancient city of Qumran – a site close to where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Archaeologists have confirmed that this grubby lot pretty much killed themselves off 2,000 years ago by wallowing in their own excrement.
Far from being fundamentally filthy, the Essenes prided themselves on their exacting standards of hygiene. They followed directions given in two of the Scrolls, which stated that latrines should not be visible from the city. And archaeologists have now identified sites at least 500 metres outside the settlement that fit the bill – they contain the preserved eggs of human intestinal parasites.
Biblical scholar James Tabor described how the Essenes toilet practices were ruled by their religion. “These people are so holy, that on the Sabbath day they won’t even use the toilet, because on the Sabbath one can’t go outside the settlement.” When you did manage to make it to the toilet you were instructed to “carry a paddle or a shovel with you, use the toilet and then cover it up”.Yet the Essenes were so unhealthy that hardly any of them made it past their fortieth birthdays – just 6%, compared to 40% in nearby Jericho at the same time. Why? Because, revolting as it may sound, leaving your faeces out to dry in the sun is actually much more hygienic than burying them. Many pathogens can live for up to a year in the soil. So every time the Essenes went to relieve themselves they were wading around in a breeding ground of worms and bacteria. Even worse, they were then required to wash in a communal water tank, which was seldom changed, before returning to the camp. No wonder they were dying off like flies. It makes Glastonbury look almost exemplary.
To read more about Hayley and view more of her articles click here.
Image: Alicia Jo McMahan
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