US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Research Reveals Water in Pompeii’s Roman Baths Was Contaminated
Research shows Pompeii’s Republican Baths had water contaminated daily with human waste and heavy metals, limiting hygiene despite water changes, according to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- On Monday, researchers analysing carbonate deposits found Pompeii's Republican Baths contained indicators consistent with human waste, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and reported by Talker.
- Before the aqueduct, the Republican Baths relied on groundwater from deep wells lifted by slaves operating treadwheel devices, limiting water volume and preventing full contaminant removal.
- Analysis detected lead, copper and zinc from volcanic deposits and evidence of bathers' perspiration, urine and other organic waste in mineral build-up.
- Researchers are now revising hygiene assumptions as findings undercut the Republican Baths' sanitary image and align with contemporary accounts describing the facilities as `unpleasantly stinky`; additional DNA tests on preserved carbonate layers aim to clarify contamination sources.
- The aqueduct's arrival in the first century AD improved bath water quality by increasing supply and circulation, while later natural springs provided lower-metal water and Mount Vesuvius preserved mineral layers enabling modern study.
Insights by Ground AI
41 Articles
41 Articles
Before Vesuvius erupted: the hidden danger lurking over ancient Pompeii
New research shows Pompeii’s water system carried hidden health and environmental risks decades before Mount Vesuvius erupted, offering rare insight into daily life, hygiene and volcanic warning signs in the ancient Roman city
·Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Read Full Article
Pompeii Public Baths, “did not meet the high hygienic standards usually attributed to the Romans.”
It may have been popular for ancient Romans to bathe in public shared baths but it was not always the most hygienic of customs. The city of Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have now reconstructed the city’s water supply system based […]
According to research by German researchers, although there was a bath in Pompeii as early as 130 BC, its water was difficult to replace.
·Hungary
Read Full ArticleCoverage Details
Total News Sources41
Leaning Left4Leaning Right8Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Center, 40% Right
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources are Center, 40% of the sources lean Right
40% Right
L 20%
C 40%
R 40%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
