Liquid Gold: The repulsive ways the ancient Romans used urine in their everyday lives

In ancient Rome, urine served various practical purposes in daily life. Some households collected urine to use as a cleaning agent, primarily due to its ammonia content. 

It effectively removed stains and dirt from clothing and household surfaces. 

Also, Romans used urine to clean their teeth. They believed it could whiten them and maintain oral health. 

Rather than using it as a toothpaste, as we might imagine, it was taken more as a mouthwash; it was gargled before being spat out. 

This unconventional method might seem totally unacceptable today, but it was a very common practice at the time.

The Roman poet Catullus even mocked a man named Egnatius for his shining white teeth, saying that his teeth had become white because he had gargled Spanish urine. 

Some later sources have suggested that urine also found its place in Roman kitchens.

Although it was not directly consumed in food, some believe it may have been used as a fermenting agent or source of salt.

However, the evidence for this is sparse, and such claims likely reflect later interpretations rather than typical Roman cooking practices. 

In addition, it was used as a fertiliser to enrich the soil in gardens and farms. 

It was the urea in urine, which released nitrogen into the soil, that made it a particularly effective natural fertilizer. 

The Roman textile industry found an unlikely use for urine, particularly in the process of fulling cloth. 

Fulling was the cleaning and thickening of fabric, and urine's ammonia content served as an effective natural detergent. 

Fullers, the workers in this process, would collect urine in large vats and soak the cloth to remove grease and impurities. 

These workshops, known as fullonicae, sometimes employed slaves who would tread the cloth by foot in vats of stale, fermented urine. 

As a result, the fabric emerged cleaner and more durable, ready for further processing or sale. 

In addition, some believe urine may have helped in preparing textiles for dyeing. Its acidic nature could assist in fixing certain dyes, allowing colors to remain vibrant for longer, although its direct use in the dye-setting process is debated by historians. 

This application was especially important in a society that valued brightly coloured garments as a symbol of status and wealth. 

When the Romans utilised urine in this way, they produced a wide range of vividly coloured fabrics: from the deep reds of the military cloaks to the purples associated with the imperial family. 

But they all smelled like wee as a result. 

As a shock as it is to us today, ancient physicians would often analyse the colour, smell, and taste of a patient's urine in order to diagnose various ailments. 

This practice, known as uroscopy, was based on the belief that changes in urine characteristics could indicate underlying health issues.

The method would later be codified and used in European medicine well into the early modern period. 

For instance, cloudy urine might suggest a kidney problem, while a reddish hue could signal blood in the urine. 

On occasions, it could also be leveraged as a remedy for a range of medical conditions. 

In particular, some believed it could act as a topical treatment for wounds, sores, and skin irritations. 

It was believed that its antiseptic properties might promote faster healing, although this belief rested more on received tradition than scientific validation. 

In a much more gross way, urine was a component in several medicinal concoctions. 

For example, it was mixed with other ingredients to create ointments for treating burns or ear infections. 

While some of these applications may seem disturbingly unconventional by modern standards, they were grounded in the received knowledge and resources available at the time. 

In ancient Roman society, urine was thought to possess whitening properties. 

We have already seen how this promoted it as a popular choice for oral hygiene, but it was also incorporated into skincare routines. 

It was often applied to the face as a treatment for blemishes and to improve complexion. 

Again, it was the ammonia in urine that was thought to have cleansing and exfoliating effects. 

While it may have been crucial in helping to maintain clear and youthful-looking skin, was it really worth the cost of rubbing it all over your face?

Interestingly, there were public urinals strategically placed throughout Roman cities for the purposes of collecting this valuable liquid. 

Also, citizens contributed their own urine from home, which was then collected to ensure a steady supply of urine for commercial and practical purposes. 

The economic value of urine was further recognised by the creation of the urine tax, known as vectigal urinae, by Emperor Vespasian. 

This tax was levied on those who collected and sold urine for commercial purposes, particularly to industries such as tanning and laundering. 

However, there was a general outcry about the nature of the tax. 

In response, the pragmatic Vespasian famously remarked, "Pecunia non olet" or "Money does not stink".

This remark would later inspire the 19th-century French term "vespasienne," meaning a public urinal, which showed the emperor’s ongoing association with monetising waste collection.