Public Toilet Dating Back 1400 Years

This is the replica of the large public toilet discovered at the Baekje site in Wanggung-ri. When it was first discovered at the site, historians were divided in their opinions regarding the use of a long pit. It was only after they discovered the eggs of human intestinal parasites at the bottom of the pit that agreement was finally reached that it was a public toilet system used by a Baekje community.

A notable element of this toilet system is the use of planks arranged side by side across a narrow pit to enable users to squat with their legs straddling the pit as they emptied their bowels. Remarkably, the pit is connected with a drainage system by which feces was swept by running water along a channel and out of the palace. The area where the channel is linked with the drainage system was paved with pebbles and cobbles which performed the function of a purifying filter.

The importance of the toilet in human life may be succinctly underscored by the making the point that its history is as old as human civilization itself. Some may wish to be more specific in underlining its cultural significance and refer to the public toilets discovered at the famous sites directly related with the birth of Western civilization - such as the Roman ruins of Ephesus in modern-day Turkey and the Minoan Palace of Knossos in Crete.

Archaeologists are agreed in that this particular toilet system was used by ordinary Baekje people rather than by their royals or aristocrats. More specifically, they believe that it was used by the community of Baekje artisans working at the metal and glass workshops located near the palace.

Then, what did the Baekje royals and aristocrats do, when they needed to relieve themselves? From Wanggung-ri and Buyeo, archaeologists unearthed a ceramic jar remarkably similar to today's chamber pot. They believe that the ruling class of Baekje had a great sense of sanitation and dignity and used a portable toilet such as the one discovered at the site. So to speak, these relics related to Baekje’s toilet show that Baekje started to establish the foundation for the urbanization.