Like the title says, I know the Romans were pretty advanced for their time as far as having running water and "bathrooms" (communal spots were they would "relieve" themselves) and even had baths but I have never heard anything about how they would wipe themselves.. I know that the Chinese started using paper around 1391 A.D. and a lot of other more primitive cultures would use such things as corn cob "leaves" (or whatever you want to call it) but I have never heard anything about what the Romans would use.
Anyhow I guess my question(s) would be what would the Romans use to clean themselves after using the bathroom, and if they didn't just go to the baths or something would their be someone who brought whatever they used and stockpiled it at the bathrooms or would each individual be responsible for bringing something themselves?
Bonus question: Was their any culture that stood out as being particularly advanced for their time in bathroom technology besides the Romans?
Sorry if this is a dumb question or has been asked before (I did a search and didn't find anything) Thanks in advance for any response you might give me!
A sponge actually. On a stick. Roman toilet looked like a bench with hole on top and in front. After they did the deed, they used the sponge available to wipe themselves, rinsed in water running through the bathroom (there was a sort of a channel) and the sponge was then used by the next person to use the toilet.
I'm not at home, so I can't source, sorry. I'll try to provide some english language sources though if it's needed.
P.S. Even if I don't get any answers I want to thank this community for being such a good source for learning cool things about history! Thank you guys!
Did high ranking Romans (and the emperor) have their own private toilets, and personal sponge?
In regards to the bonus question:
I'm only a writer who came across this stuff in the process of research, but it might be of interest to you and will hopefully not anger the gods of askhistorians. There's ample evidence that plumbing in the middle east was very advanced well before the Romans came onto the scene. Cities like Eshnunna and the Indus mohenjo-daro houses having bathrooms located next to side streets so that terra cotta pipes could funnel waste into covered street drains (with lift up covers to clear blockages too).
Some photos and a rough timeline here: http://www.sewerhistory.org/grfx/wh_era/meso1.htm http://www.sewerhistory.org/chronos/early_roots.htm#meso
A more in-depth look at Eshnunna in this document - page 103 onwards covering some drainage: http://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/oic13.pdf