Xylospongium

Common card · No. 239099

The xylospongium, also known as a tersorium, or a "sponge on a stick", was a hygiene utensil found in ancient Roman latrines, consisting of a wooden stick (Greek: ξύλον, xylon) with a sea sponge (Greek: σπόγγος, spongos) fixed at one end. Academics disagree as to its exact use, primarily because the primary sources are vague. It has traditionally been assumed to be a type of shared anal hygiene utensil used to wipe after defecating, and the sponge cleaned in vinegar or water (sometimes salt water). Other recent research suggests it was most likely a toilet brush. In the Baths of the Seven Sages in Ostia, a fresco from the 2nd century contains the Inscription (u)taris xylosphongio which is the first known mention of the term. Also in the early second century, a papyrus letter of Claudius Terentianus to his father Claudius Tiberianus uses the term xylesphongium in a phrase.

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