Where’s the Loo? Considerations of Socioeconomic Status and Urban Refuse Management in Pompeii

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The location of sanitation facilities has important social and cultural ramification about the use latrines and management of waste in the ancient Mediterranean. Field work in Pompeii has led to a more precise understanding of residential and business latrines and downpipes (indicators of upper story sanitation features) by challenging commonly held notions about the distribution of latrines within different property types. The location of residential latrines has been mostly attributed to kitchens, but this study found that latrines are also commonly found near entrances and in dedicated latrines rooms. Businesses sanitation facilities are closely associated with downpipes and frequently located in the front room of shops. The distribution of downpipes more accurately represents the importance of private sanitation on upper floors. The patterns have implications for understanding latrine use and socioeconomic variation in waste management in urban environments. Also considered is the effect of the location of cesspits on broader issues of urban waste and refuse management.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53636