An ancient flush toilet that was unearthed by Chinese archeologists this past summer is most likely one of the oldest ever discovered, local media reported.
The broken parts of the artefact, estimated to be between 2,200 and 2,400 years old, were discovered by researchers from the Institute of Archaeology at the China Academy of Social Sciences as they excavated at the Yueyang archaeological site in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
The parts, which included a toilet bowl and a pipe, date back to the so-called Warring States Period at the beginning of the Han Dynasty.
The Chinese Institute of Archaeology's researcher Liu Rui, who was part of the excavation team, told a Chinese media outlet that the artefact is "the first and only flush toilet to be ever unearthed in China." According to him, everybody at the site was surprised about the discovery, and they "all burst into laughter" when they saw it.
Liu explained that in ancient times, a flush toilet was believed to be a "luxury object" that was only used by very high-ranking members of society.
According to him, the scientists spent months trying to put the broken fixture together before they revealed details regarding the discovery. They suggested that the toilet bowl was apparently placed indoors, with the pipe leading to an outdoor pit, while servants probably poured water into the toilet every time it was used.
Liu pointed out that "the flush toilet is concrete proof of the importance the ancient Chinese attached to sanitation." The researcher recalled there were few records of indoor toilets in ancient times.
Before the Yueyang artefact was discovered, the first manual flush toilet was thought to have been invented by English courtier John Harington for Queen Elizabeth I in 1596.