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(I have both the honor and the privilege to review Anne Olga Koloski-Ostrow’s “The Archaeology of sanitation in Roman Italy: Toilets, Sewers, and Water Systems." This is just a preview of my later complete review.) While doing research a few years ago about healthcare in the ancient world, I found this fascinating drawing by the illustrator Ron Embleton. It depicts a communal latrine (forica) at Housesteads Fort along Hadrian’s Wall. I was horrified by the use of the sponge on a stick, probably shared, for personal hygiene. (Click on image to enlarge) This is a picture of a preserved Ancient Roman latrine in Ostia: For many years, these pictures and others of ancient Roman latrines had left me with more questions than answers. While reviewing Professor Koloski-Ostrow’s book “The Archaeology of Sanitation in Roman Italy: Toilets, Sewers, and Water Systems,” I gained greater insight into sanitation in ancient Rome and an answer to many of my questions. Professor Koloski-Ostrow notes, “The ever-present trenches at the feet of the public toilets were definitely designed to hold liquids, either spillage from washing arrangements, water directed into them for cleaning sponge sticks, or urine.” Professor Koloski-Ostrow’s research further supports the use of sponge sticks for personal cleaning after toilet use. She sites Seneca’s moving tribute to a German gladiator killing himself with a sponge stick as evidence of at least its presence near a commode: There is no definitive evidence that these sponge sticks were used for personal cleanup (and not used for cleaning the toilets, instead). Professor Koloski-Ostrow, however, does make a persuasive argument that the sponge sticks, in fact, were used for personal hygiene. To really understand ancient Roman culture and history, one must appreciate the mundane as well as the monuments. guy also known as gaius

There were two kind of fighters who interacted with animals. Firstly, and higher status, was the venator, the animal hunter, who stalked and killed in the arena to celebrate religious rites and demonstrate power over nature. There were also Bestiarii, who not only had to fight animals as equals (thus the lower status), but were also employed to handle them as well. One man was said to have killed a bear by pushing his arm down its throat and suffocating it. Needless to say, this sort of mano-a-mano combat with animals was risky and difficult. 'Doomed criminals' did not generally fight the animals - mostly they were tied to a post and the animal allowed to do whatever. There is one account of a man being attacked by a bear in this fashion, tied to a post on wheels, who was described as no longer being shaped as a man after disfigurement by the bear. There was also an account of a lady of poor repute who was sealed up in a wooden cow, hauled into the arena for a rampant bull to have its way, much to the crowds amusement. Were animals badly treated? Well, yes and no. Firstly the animals were generally imported from distant areas and very expoensive to get hold of. Specialists gathered animals for the arena inlcuding soldiers (there was a legion in Germany that boasted of its bear hunters). The actual death toll of animals en route isn't known but bear in mind that animals were subject to stress and confinement, and there was one case where Augustus was going to show crocodiles to the public but they died before the event. Around Rome there was at least one 'zoo' for holding animals before events. I don't know if the public could wander around - I suspect they could - but provincial towns seem to lack those kind of facilities, and given the distances, provincials would have had much less animals on view than Capua or Rome. The other side to the argument is that the games editor expected animals to perform. Even dangerous carnivores were often frightened witless by the experience of being put into the arena and there's one account of lions retreating back to the gates in fear, whereupon the outraged and embarrased editor had the trainer executed. Some beasts were tasked to perform circus tricks (an elephant was made to walk a tightrope though I don't know if that was a success), others were rated as character fighters in their own right, but most were pretty well doomed. There has been speculation of what happened to the carcasses. current opinion favours meat handouts to the poor though what happened to the bones as you point out remains an interesting anomaly - there were however some large charnel pits around Rome, so some definitely ended up buried. The number of animals slaughtered could be extreme - Trajan was said to have had 11,000 beasts killed during 120 days of games to celebrate the campaign against Dacia (and almost as many men died in fighting too, a handy way of dealing with prisoners of war).