Latrina ― Roman Toilets in the Northwestern Provinces of the Roman Empire

Buildings can be classed into two groups: one – very large – group that can be termed multi-purpose and that is used with little difference in design for the many and quite variable tasks of living and working and another, smaller group of buildings that are built for a specific purpose clearly defined through their form and / or installations. This of course does not exclude the use of these buildings for other functions, but is an indication of their main or intended use. In the Roman period, examples of this group include many technical buildings, such as aqueducts, harbour installations and defensive walls, but also buildings used by humans every day, such as bath buildings and toilets. During the last four decades, the interest in the social activities that make up the experience of daily life in the Roman Empire has increased both in archaeological scholarship as well as the general public. This had also boosted the interest in Roman toilets. This volume presents a selection of papers and case studies first presented at a conference designed to focus on the toilets of the Northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire, taking place at Radboud University on the 1st and 2nd of May 2009. Papers demonstrate the value of scientific analysis of waste to understand the food habits and diseases of the Roman users of the toilet, while elsewhere questions on how to find the necessary expertise and financing for such investigations were raised. It is impossible at this time to write a definitive history of toilets and toilet-use in Roman times. Much more research is needed to get a clear view of all aspects surrounding human waste removal during the Roman period. While the basics of the architectural aspects of Roman toilets are better known by now, other aspects have been only touched upon briefly. It is hoped that this conference and its proceedings volume will not be the last on this subject in the Northwestern provinces, but just a start for this interesting research topic.