Episode 75: Plumb as in Full of Lead

Ask a Medievalist

Summary

After a brief discussion of how people brushed their teeth, we move on to the question of where the water they used came from. And yeah, Rome had aqueducts–but so did a lot of places! And the Romans didn’t even build the aqueducts they did have–they took them from the Etruscans! Who may have gotten the idea from the Minoans! Also we talk about China, Harappa, and the Inca. You don’t want to miss this amazing smorgasbord of plumbing knowledge.

Notes

1/ This discussion of dentistry is very weird to listen to; as I [Em] am editing this episode, I’m also preparing to get some dental work and…let’s just say we all appreciate being born after Novocain became a thing. [Ooooo, yes. I agree.–Jesse]

2/ St. Apollonia–see episode 10 (Icons and Iconography) note 37 and episode 28 (Food) note 29.

3/ A broken jaw wired together with gold thread: the jaw of a Byzantine warrior (14th century) was broken and healed after being wired together (probably with gold thread). Hippocrates had suggested this method in the 5th century BCE, but there’s not a lot of archeological evidence of this type of surgery. https://www.livescience.com/byzantine-warrior-fractured-jaw

4/ Our Flag Means Death is set around 1717–1720. The “acts of grace” Blackbeard takes advantage of were a 1717–1719 thing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1717%E2%80%931718_Acts_of_Grace), and IRL Blackbeard died in 1718. Also, Stede dresses like a gentleman of that era (banyans! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banyan_(clothing))

5/ First toothbrush: China, 600s CE. Here’s a history of toothbrush evolution in China! https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22883376/

6/ Various tooth abrasives:

• Pumice
• Ash
• charcoal
• Eggshells
• Walnut shells
• Crushed bones
• Oyster shells

7/ The compound in coffee and tea that sticks to your teeth is tannin. When you brush your teeth with baking soda, I believe it forms a new compound—sodium tannate, and then it will leave your teeth alone! That’s why baking soda is a whitener. But it tastes NASTY.

8/ Trotula (12th century): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trota_of_Salerno

9/ Lead: plumbum in Latin. Pretty clear line from there to plumber.

10/ Indus Valley / Harappa:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitation_of_the_Indus_Valley_Civilisation

https://www.harappa.com/blog/mohenjo-daro-street-drains

Jansen, “Water Supply and Sewage Disposal at Mohenjo-Daro” in World Archaeology 21.2 (Oct 1989), 177-192.

11/ Shelves in the closet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKE2S-lHhRY

12/ The Minoans:

Jesse has seen the plumbing at the palace at Knossos and spent a lot of time taking pictures of it. It’s still there and truly incredible!

A.N. Angelakis “Hydro-technologies in the Minoan Era”

https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/water-harvesting-and-distribution-systems-of-the-minoan-civilization

13/ Linear A:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_A

(The other one is Linear B, aka Mycinean Greek. We didn’t name things too creatively I guess.)

14/ For more on Crete and the Minoans, see episodes: 2 note 9 and 68 note 9.

15/ The Etruscans:

https://novoscriptorium.com/2020/01/09/etruscan-hydro-technologies/

16/ The Cloaca Maxima in Roma:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitation_in_ancient_Rome

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloaca_Maxima