Latrine, Housesteads Roman Fort, Hadrian's Wall

Communal Latrine for up to 800 men, with a deep sewer, originally covered with a wooden floor and benches with holes to form multiple toilet seats, at Housesteads Roman Fort, on Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland, England. The sewer was flushed by rainwater via drains, and out via a culvert under the fort wall. In dry weather, rainwater was collected from roofs of nearby buildings and stored in stone tanks seen here. The central platform has a channel along which water flowed for washing. For toilet paper, the soldiers may have used moss, bracken or rags. Housesteads Fort was built in 124 AD and is the most complete Roman fort in Britain, built by legionaries to house 10 centuries of auxiliary soldiers based on the frontier. Hadrian's Wall was built 73 miles across Britannia, now England, 122-128 AD, under the reign of Emperor Hadrian, ruled 117-138, to mark the Northern extent of the Roman Empire and guard against barbarian attacks from the Picts to the North. The wall was fortified with milecastles with 2 turrets in between, and a fort about every 5 Roman miles. This section of the Wall is in the Northumberland National Park, managed by the National Trust, and the Hadrian's Wall Path, an 84-mile coast to coast long distance footpath, runs alongside it. Picture by Manuel Cohen

Picture No

13434666

Media ID

45117885

Size

7087px x 4724px (11.1MB)

Credit

Manuel Cohen / Mary Evans

Source

Photograph by Manuel Cohen