I have spent the last couple weeks comparing ancient man to modern man and referencing my trip to see the remains of the ancient world. I have spoken about how we use many of the same products and design principals today as our ancestors did in ancient times. One place where this is not so true... the bathroom. While there were certainly private baths in the ancient world, many in the Roman empire (which incidentally was way ahead of other civilizations) used public bathrooms which usually required payed admission and were just that- public. At Ephesus, I saw an area that had lines of squat toilets carved into a long stone bench with an ancient form of plumbing underneath- basically a big public port-o-potty!
We have come a long way since then, and even in the last few years. Manufacturers are now making toilets at seat height to make it more comfortable to sit on, are paying attention to the shape of the seat and are using air and water pressure to ensure everything stays clean and fresh. Due to the recent water conservation legislation put into effect, manufacturers are being challenged to create toilets with maximum flush impact using less and less water and energy. One very cool piece of technology is the dual flush toilet. These toilets first showed up in public restrooms a few years ago but have been streamlined and made more attractive and appealing to a residential clientele. It has two flush settings based on what you are flushing, and uses less water and energy when less is required.
Although we have learned so much from our ancient counterparts, I am delighted this is one area where we continued to evolve and can't wait to see what the future holds.
