Ancient geeks: Top inventions from engineers of old (part 1).

Antibiotics, electricity, human rights – in many ways, modern society is much more advanced than the ancient world. But there are some inventions we might not have today if the Greeks and Romans hadn’t come up with them.

FATHER OF INVENTION

Born around 287 BCE, Archimedes was a Greek physicist, mathematician, astronomer and inventor. Despite being one of the greatest scientists ever, he is probably best known for shouting ‘Eureka!’ in excitement when he solved a knotty problem while taking a bath.

Among his many credits: He figured out how to determine the volume of an irregularly shaped object by measuring how much water it displaces (hence the bath); determined the ratio of the radius of a circle to its circumference; popularised the Archimedes’ screw (it was probably invented by the Egyptians), a screw within a pipe that can be used to pump water; and designed block-and-tackle pulley systems that allowed people to lift heavy objects they would not otherwise have been able to move.

ROYAL FLUSH

The Minoans were ancient even to the Greeks. They prospered on the island of Crete from around 3 000–1 100 BCE, building several massive palace complexes. Because the remote island was easy to defend, they could concentrate on more important matters – such as indoor plumbing.

They built a complex system of aqueducts, cisterns and filtering mechanisms to carry, store and clean water. The epitome of this technology can be found in the 4 000-year-old palace of Knossos, which has the world’s first-ever flushing toilet. It was screened off for privacy and flushed with rainwater or water from cisterns. An extensive sewage system with terracotta pipes has been found underneath the site, suggesting this wasn’t the only such convenience.

CLEAN AND FRESH

In the first century BCE, public toilets became a standard part of the infrastructure in Roman cities and most city dwellers had toilets in their homes. However, these public conveniences were a much more sociable affair than we are used to today. They generally consisted of one or more long stone benches with round holes cut into them at intervals – you could sit and have a chat to the person next to you while tending to the call of nature.

You dealt with personal hygiene by using a tersorium (sea sponge on the end of a stick). Buckets of vinegar or water, or even small streams of running water were provided for rinsing the implement. Don’t fancy sharing a sponge? Another option was wiping with a small terracotta disc.

Right: The world’s first flushing toilet is located in the Minoan Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete.

Above: Public toilets in early Roman cities were quite different from what we’re used to today. There was no privacy, and you could chat to the people around you as you used the facilities.