Pottery discs at a Roman site in West Sussex once thought by archeologists to be "gaming pieces" are now believed to have has sanitary use: "Fishbourne Roman Palace pottery 'was toilet paper' BBC 26 January 2013
The objects have been in the Fishbourne Roman Palace collection since the 1960s but curator Dr Rob Symmons said their definition never seemed satisfactory. A breakthrough came when a French expert examined similar items and found partially-mineralized excrement.[...] "Just before Christmas, a paper was published in the British Medical Journal by Philippe Charlier, who is an anthropologist in France, and he has come up with some fairly compelling evidence that they were used for wiping one's bottom." Dr Symmons said Charlier not only found a "residue" on similar pieces, but also said the items were often found near latrines. The anthropologist also cited an ancient Greek proverb which said "three stones are enough to wipe one's arse". And he found an image on a Greek cup of one of the stones apparently being used. [...] it was well-known that Romans used sponges on sticks dipped in vinegar as an alternative to toilet paper, but this new theory had come as a revelation.
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