In China, scientists have found a flush toilet in an ancient palace. This publication reports China Daily.
During excavations, archaeologists discovered part of the structure with a washout. Scientists have not found the upper part of the structure, so it is not yet possible to say exactly what the device looked like completely.
Judging by the design, the toilet itself was located in the room, and the pipe led to a pit outside the building. According to scientists, the servants poured water into the bowl every time it was used.
The item was considered a luxury. Scientists suggest that the discovered device could be used by Qin Xiaogong (381-338 BC) or his father Qin Xiangong (424-362 BC) from the kingdom of Qin, or Liu Bang (256 BC or 247 BC) – 195 BC), the first emperor of the Han Dynasty.
Prior to the discovery of this item, it was believed that the first flush toilet was invented by John Harington for Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century.
Earlier, on November 23, 2022, Russian archaeologists from the Center for Egyptological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (CEI RAS), during excavations at one of the ancient burial places in Egypt, discovered a papyrus, the text of which tells about a marriage scam that took place more than 2 thousand years ago – in the III century BC. ad. This is the complaint of the deceived bride Philumena to King Ptolemy with a request to punish Numenius, who promised to marry. As stated in the text, instead of a wedding, a man simply appropriated the dowry of his former lover. This is the first petition known to scholars for non-fulfillment of the obligation to marry.
