Archaeologists Excavated an Ancient Palace and Found the Prince's 1,300-Year-Old Flush Toilet
Excavations at the Donggung Palace in Korea resulted in the discovery of a 1,300-year-old flush toilet likely once used by the crown prince.
The toilet, while not the first of its kind across the world, was a first in Korea and possibly Asia.
The royal toilet still required manual 'flushing' and emptied directly into a nearby river.
One would expect that the construction of ancient Korea's royal palace spared no expense. And would be correct. Built in 674 A.D.—during the 14th year of the reign of King Munmu of the Kingdom of Silla, after the unification of the Korean Peninsula—the palace site included at least 26 separate buildings and a range of human-built ponds connected by water channels.
But the historical high-tech didn't stop at architecture and water transportation. During an excavation by the Korean Heritage Society of the Donggung Palace, crews uncovered the 1,300-year-old remnants of a flushing toilet in the throne room, proving that the palace was also on the cutting edge of bathroom technology.
'We assume that this was the crown prince's toilet,' said Kim Gyeong Yeol, lead archeologist, according to a translated report from Dagbladet published by the Jerusalem Post. 'This toilet drained directly into a nearby river.'
While the flush toilet was a first for Korea (and, potentially, Asia), it wasn't the first in history. In fact, it wasn't even the only flushing toilet in the palace. Crews continuing the excavation at the palace located the remains of multiple flushing toilets, but only the prince's had the piping to drain directly into a moving waterway.
'The royal toilet with river drainage is the first of its kind in Korea,' Kim said. 'It is absolutely incredible, and it suggests that royals and other higher-ranked individuals in ancient Korea had access to more advanced sanitary facilities.'
Kim told Live Science that the toilet with direct discharge into the river 'seems to have a hierarchical meaning,' used only by the crown prince and the court ladies closest to him.
The first-known use of using toilets with drainage occurred in the Indus Valley (which is modern-day Pakistan and India) sometime between 2600 and 1900 B.C., according to a study published in the journal Sustainability in 2016. Their prominence grew worldwide, with the Romans popularizing their use—and sometimes making that use a communal event.
Moving further west, Sir John Harrington—a godson of Queen Elizabeth I—created a new toilet in 1596 that was installed at Richmond Palace. This device is more closely related to modern-day flushing than examples from the Indus Valley region, and consisted of a toilet overtop a two-feet-deep cistern that collected the waste. A second cistern (this one elevated and full of water) could rush 7.5 gallons of water through the lower chamber to flush out the waste. Without curved piping between the seat and the lower cistern, though, the smell tended to stick around.
If done properly, the cleansing of the Korean toilet could have kept the crown prince's toilet a little less stench-filled and entirely fit for a prince. He was probably all the happier for it.
You Might Also Like
The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape
The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere
Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
8 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Collapsed road in Cyprus reveals long-forgotten ancient tomb. See its treasures
When a section of road in eastern Cyprus collapsed, officials looked into the gaping hole and were surprised to find a long-forgotten ancient tomb. Excavations revealed the roughly 2,000-year-old structure and its treasures. Officials received a report of a collapsed road near the port of Famagusta on the evening of June 20 and immediately investigated, the Department of Antiquities and Museums of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus said in a June 24 news release. Officials did not say how the road damage occurred, but photos show a mid-sized hole in the pavement. Very quickly, officials realized the collapse had exposed something historic: an ancient Greek tomb, the department said. Follow-up excavations revealed more of the rock-cut tomb, which had a central room with three couch-like funeral beds, known as klinai. The grave's original entrance was covered with stone blocks, the department said. Officials did not provide an exact age for the tomb but dated it to the Hellenistic period, which began in Cyprus around 300 B.C. and ended in 58 B.C. when the ancient Roman empire took control of the island, according to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archaeologists also found several artifacts inside the 2,000-year-old tomb. Photos show some of the pottery finds, which included bowls, jars for oil, lamps, cosmetic bottles and other pots. Another photo shows the small gold leaf artifacts found in the tomb. Other finds included bones, glass jars, coins and needle fragments, officials said. Excavations of the tomb in northeastern Cyprus were ongoing as of June 24. Turkish officials said they plan to clean, inventory, analyze and conserve the finds before putting them on display. Cyprus is an island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The island is divided between the independent Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a disputed territory controlled and solely recognized by Turkey. Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Department of Antiquities and Museums of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Buzz Feed
Evocative Words That Exist In Other Languages But Not English
Have you ever heard a word translated from another language that is so descriptive, evocative, beautiful, or useful that strangely doesn't exist in your native one? Redditor oliviamonet asked, "People who are bilingual in English and another language, what's a word that exists in your other language that you are surprised doesn't exist in English?" Here are words from languages around the world with no English equivalent. "In Italian we have abbiocco, which is the drowsiness you experience after a big meal. It is a tiredness and brain fog exclusively associated with a full belly. Very useful in Italy." —exhausted_wombat "In Irish, beochaoineadh. It translates to 'alive crying.' It means a lament for those who still live, but you know you may never see them again, or are otherwise lost to you in a permanent, painful, and irreversible way." —Maboroshi94RD "In Korean 눈치 (noon-chi). It means the ability to notice other people's subtle emotions or thoughts. For example, if someone kept talking about something that clearly bores the other person, who is too polite to leave the conversation, you'd say that that person doesn't have noon-chi, or the ability to notice (that they want to talk about something else)." "Friolento! It's a Spanish word, meaning somebody who is too affected by the cold weather or is constantly feeling cold." —maccaron "Flâner in French. That's when you stroll aimlessly through a city, just enjoying the surroundings without a set destination." —Square_Positive_559 "In Polish, we have kombinować. You can't really understand Polish culture unless you grasp the whole meaning of this word. It means to find a way around something, find a solution to some problem, but in a slightly mischievous, not always legal, way." "口寂しい or Kuchisabishii in Japanese. It translates to lonely mouth, and it's stress or boredom eating like eating out of habit, or chewing on something to have something to do." —Gureiify "Finnish language is famous for kalsarikännit (getting drunk in your underwear), so I wasn't surprised it doesn't exist in English. But I was gobsmacked when I found out English has no casual word for tuuletus/tuulettaminen (a gesture for 'yay!!!' or 'wooo!!'). They just call it 'goal celebration' or wild." —republicofrhubarb "A beautiful expression we have in Italian is 'arrangiati.' There do exist turns of phrases in English that mean more or less the same thing, for example, 'do it yourself' or 'you're on your own,' but 'arrangiati' is the imperative and reflexive of 'arrangiare' (to organise, arrange, make do, manage) — basically 'sort yourself.' However, arrangiati has the same heft and directness, and general sentiment, of basically telling someone to go f*** themselves. No direct English translation leaves me satisfied as telling someone 'arrangiati!' "A Filipina lady said 'I was talking to my...' and stopped and asked me what the English word is for a parent of the person your kid married (aka the parent of your son or daughter-in-law). It's a relationship that we have no word for in English." —OlyScott "Kummerspeck in German, which is grief (or worry) bacon. It's the weight you gain from emotional eating." —Frau-Pfau "My favorite is the Japanese word tsundoku, which describes one who acquires more books than they could possibly read in a lifetime." —JET304 "In Portuguese, saudade, or a feeling of homesickness for something or someone." "Døgn, the Norwegian word for the 24-hour period between midnight and midnight." —Confident-Rough-8560 "Sobremesa. It's the period of time you stay seated at the table talking after you're done eating." —sapphicor "Prozvonit, a Czech verb which means to call someone and let it ring very briefly with the intention of them not picking up the call." —Disastrous_Alarm_719 "Icelandic has gluggaveður (window weather), aka weather that looks sunny and warm when looking at it out of the window, but it is actually bitterly cold when you go outside." —fidelises "In Swedish, we have lagom. It means 'the right amount.' For example, 'How many cookies do you want?' 'Lagom.'" —Konkuriito "In German, we have backpfeifengesicht. In English, this means a face badly in need of punching." "The Welsh word hiraeth is my all-time favorite. Basically, it means a longing homesickness for a place you have never been, perhaps a place that doesn't even exist." —Maveragical Do you have one to add? If you speak another language, what is a beautiful, evocative, specific, or useful word that exists in that language that does not exist in English? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Archaeologist uncovers ‘persuasive' evidence of true location where Jesus turned water into wine
A historian believes he's found the location of Jesus Christ's first miracle – and has newfound evidence to back it up. Scripture gives limited details about Jesus' first miracle, which is said to have taken place at Cana. The Gospel of John states that Jesus turned water into wine during a wedding in the village. Advertisement 'Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons,' the gospel states. 'Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water,' so they filled them to the brim.' The passage continues, 'Then he told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.' They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.' The prevailing theory states that Kafr Kanna, an Israeli town in the Galilee, was the true location of Cana. Pilgrims have long venerated the site, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914. 4 The Gospel of John states that Jesus turned water into wine during a wedding in the village. Getty Images Advertisement But historian Tom McCollough says that Cana was actually located five miles north of Kafr Kanna. The site, called Khirbet Qana, was a Jewish village from 323 B.C. to 324 A.D. McCollough taught religion and history at Centre College until his retirement in 2017. He told Pen News that Khirbet Qana presents the most compelling evidence so far. '[No other village] has the ensemble of evidence that makes such a persuasive case for Khirbet Qana,' he said. Advertisement The main piece of evidence is a series of tunnels used by Christians — marked with various crosses and references to Christ, which date back over 1,500 years. 'We have uncovered a large Christian veneration cave complex that was used by Christian pilgrims who came to venerate the water-to-wine miracle,' McCollough said. 'This complex was used beginning in the late fifth or early sixth century and continued to be used by pilgrims into the 12th-century Crusader period.' 4 The site, called Khirbet Qana, was a Jewish village from 323 B.C. to 324 A.D. Universal Images Group via Getty Images Advertisement During his excavation, McCollough also uncovered an altar and a shelf with a stone vessel. He noted that there was space for five additional jars — consistent with the biblical account of six stone jars. On the walls of the complex, his team of excavators also uncovered references to Kyrie Iesou, a Koine Greek phrase meaning Lord Jesus. 'The pilgrim texts we have from this period that describe what pilgrims did and saw when they came to Cana of Galilee match very closely what we have exposed as the veneration complex,' he said. Speaking to Pen News, McCollough also used the work of Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, to back up his argument. 'His references to Cana align geographically with the location of Khirbet Qana and align logically with his movements,' he said. 'The reference to Cana in Josephus, the New Testament and in the rabbinic texts would argue the village was a Jewish village, near the Sea of Galilee and in the region of lower Galilee.' 4 He noted that there was space for five additional jars — consistent with the biblical account of six stone jars. Universal Images Group via Getty Images Advertisement He added, 'Khirbet Qana fulfills all of these criteria.' McCollough also argued that Kafr Kanna wasn't recognized as a pilgrimage site for Cana until the 18th century, which disputes the Catholic narrative about the site. 'At this point, the Franciscans were managing Christian pilgrimage and facilitating easy passage rather than historical accuracy,' he claimed. All in all, McCollough believes his excavations could bolster the case for the historicity of the Bible, and that his findings 'warrant at least a reconsideration of the historical value of John's references to Cana and Jesus.' Advertisement 'Our excavations have shown that this was in fact a thriving Jewish village located in the heart of much of Jesus' life and ministry,' he said. McCollough added, 'For the Gospel of John, Cana [was] in some ways Jesus' safe place or operational center. It is a place he and his disciples return to when they encounter resistance in Judea.' 4 On the walls of the complex, his team of excavators also uncovered references to Kyrie Iesou, a Koine Greek phrase meaning Lord Jesus. Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The most recent research comes as archaeologists across the world work on uncovering sites from the Bible. Advertisement In March, an archaeologist working at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre spoke with Fox News Digital about finding proof of an ancient garden at the site, consistent with scripture. Earlier this year, a group of Israeli archaeologists uncovered evidence of a biblical battle at the city of Megiddo in northern Israel.
