8th-Century A.D. Royal Toilet Unearthed in South Korea

GYEONGIU, SOUTH KOREA—According to a KBS Korea report, an eighth-century A.D. toilet has been unearthed in a palace dating to the Unified Silla Dynasty in eastern South Korea. The toilet is made up of two rectangular slabs of stone on either side of an oval-shaped receptacle with a hole at its bottom. Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage researchers suggest users would have placed a foot on each of the rectangular stone slabs and squatted over the receptacle. Pouring water into the hole would have flushed waste down into the drainage system. To read about another recent discovery in South Korea, go to “Doll Story.”