Why do you take a shower? To be clean, to look nice, or to prove that you are in the best
shape of your life? You usually pick up your dirt shampoo and metal scraper in the shower,
right? No? Well, then the world has changed quite a bit since Ancient Greece.
In Ancient Greece hygiene was nothing like what it looks like today.
But, I doubt you’ve even imagined it like this. Hello and welcome back to Nutty History. Today
we’re going to be talking about what hygiene was like during ancient Grecian times.
The ancient Greeks bathed simply for aesthetic reasons – they wanted to look clean and their
culture prized a strong, athletic body. With that in mind, they weren’t trying to rid themselves of
germs or viruses through bathing. For this reason, during 1200 – 200 BC, it’s believed that they only
used water and not soap. Even though soap was around during this time, it was used for cleaning
cooking utensils or and not thought of as having important medicinal properties. Instead of soap,
the Greeks would clean any visible dirt with a mixture of oil and an abrasive substance – like
sand, pumice, blocks of clay, and ashes. They would rub this substance all over their bodies.
The Greeks would use a curved metal tool called a “strigil” to scrape off the oil and dirt. Both men
and women would use a strigil, and it was deemed an important tool to have for visual cleanliness.
It was even more important if you were an athlete. Typically, athletes would apply oil to their
bodies before heading to the gym or working out. Once they were done exercising, they would use
the strigil to scrape the oil, sweat, dirt, and even blood from their bodies. It was believed
that the athletes must have extra special dirt and bodily fluids as they have achieved such an
admirable physical form. Remember – the ancient Greeks prized the “perfect physical physique”
as being closer to the gods. The muck scraped off their bodies would be saved and was thought
to have special medicinal powers. It would be used as an ingredient in various salves and poultices
and sold throughout the community. Around 600 BC, the ancient Greeks started setting up bath houses.
Bathhouses became such an important part of daily life that there are many vases or works of art
from this time period depicting bathhouses, or what one would do in a bathhouse. According to
the Homeric Epos, the Greeks typically used cold water first, then hot water. There’s a mention in
other works of literature about public and private bathhouses – the latter requiring a fee to enter.
The fees were typically small, allowing everyone in the city to afford entrance. Bathhouses were
such an important part of daily life that some politicians would pay the entrance fees for a
bathhouse for a period of time as a part of their political campaign. Men and women used separate
parts of the bathhouses, with women having to use a smaller part of the bath complex or having
to access the complex at different hours than the men. The women would typically visit in the
morning, while paying a higher fee, and men would be allowed entrance in the afternoon and evenings.
Typically, the bath houses would be located near places where the Greeks would exercise.
These bathhouses served many functions beyond getting clean. A lot of times the bathhouses
were used for socialization and community. People were able to access different pools or procedures
based on their needs. Various works of art from the time period depict multiple baths of varying
size and purposes in the bathhouses, like hot and cold baths, or baths just for your feet.
Attendees could walk around, exercise or even get a snack and drink while they visited the
bathhouse. They also served the purpose of water conservation. The idea was to conserve water
by having everyone bathing together, instead of each person bathing individually in their homes.
As mentioned earlier, bathing was used for aesthetic purposes, meaning just to rinse
off visible dirt. The Greeks would also come to the bathhouses to cool down after exercise or
on hot days. Wealthy or important people typically had private baths at their homes, but would still
visit the bathhouses as a means of socialization and comradery. Today, we think of bathing as a
private thing, and it’s so hard to conceive the idea of one of our most private acts being a
means of socialization! Imagine bathing with your friends or colleagues, and numerous strangers,
everyday! The ancient Greeks believed illnesses in the body came from an imbalance of the four
humors in the body – blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. They didn’t think that hygiene
was necessary to prevent illnesses. Bathing in ancient Greece was all about beauty, elegance, and
self-respect. Even as time progressed and indoor plumbing became more widespread, the communal
bathhouses continued to be widely popular in ancient Greece due to its important social impact.
We may think of toilet paper as commonplace, but it didn’t show up in Europe until around
the 16th century. People had been living in Greece long before that and needed a way to
clean up after using the bathroom. If the family was fortunate enough, they would use a sponge
attached to a stick, called a “tersorium” to clean themselves with – similar to the ancient Romans.
If flowing water wasn’t available, a bucket of salt water, or vinegar water would be used to
splash onto one’s private areas. However, not every family or every Greek would have
access to this. Instead, it was common for the Greeks to clean themselves using stones.
In the 1960s, archeologists uncovered a series of small stone disks called near the communal
toilets. A pile of stones would be kept in the lavatories and used for cleaning yourself after a
bowel movement. These stones had to be just right in shape and texture as to not injure the person.
With that being said, there’s an ancient Greek saying “Three stones are enough to wipe”
to encourage a more conservation approach in the bathroom. It’s even been discovered that some
Greeks would write the name of their enemies on the stones or on shards or ceramic and use that
to wipe! Public bathrooms in ancient Greece are not the same as today! Similar to bathhouses, they
were meant to be a communal experience. Picture any public toilet you’ve been to, but without the
stalls, and each toilet is much closer together. There was no privacy. That’ll give you a better
picture of public toilets in ancient Greece. A series of holes would be cut into benches,
installed over the top of the plumbing that runs below. The waste channels below were very deep
for that time, and the toilets could become very chilly! It’s been noted that wealthy individuals
would send their slaves down to the toilets ahead of time to warm the seat for them. If
you thought bathing in public was scandalous, imagine using the toilets with all your friends
and strangers surrounding you! As long as there have been people on Earth, they have been eating.
Food residues can become stuck to your teeth or get lodged in spaces between your teeth. Having
good oral hygiene can prevent numerous illnesses including tooth decay and infection. However,
the modern toothbrush was not mass produced until 1780. What did humans do before that? Centuries
before the modern toothbrush, the ancient Greeks had some very ingenious ideas! The simplest way
to clean your teeth is with your finger. There are two methods that were primarily used for
the Greeks – either the finger was wrapped in cotton cloth and rubbed all over the teeth,
or the finger was dipped in a type of powder substance and used to clean the teeth. A lot
of these ancient powders, like charcoal, baking soda, or alum, are the base for modern toothpaste!
The Greeks were onto something. The ancient Greeks were surrounded by nature and would turn
to it before the advent of modern medicine. The Laurel tree is native to Greece and has antiseptic
and therapeutic properties. You may recognize the Laurel branches as those worn around the heads of
athletes during the ancient Olympics. The Lauren tree’s essential oils are antiseptic and stimulate
blood circulation to the gums. This promotes cleanliness and regeneration of the gum tissue.
After chewing on a branch of the Laurel tree, the Greeks would be left with a clean mouth
and a fresh scent. Other times, fresh fragrant herbs were used to cleanse the teeth and mouth
after a meal. They would also be used as breath freshener throughout the day.
Popular herbs for the ancient Greeks to use were fennel, parsley and lovage. They would create a
mixture of these herbs to cleanse the teeth and freshen the breath. The ancient Greeks had some
creative and interesting ideas when it came to hygiene. Some of their practices have influenced
our modern day lives, and others we have left in the past. We hope you enjoyed learning a
bit more about ancient Greece and we’ll see you next time! Thanks for watching Nutty History!