Сортиры в средневековом Вильнюсе. Общеевропейский контекст и возможности идентификации

ENToilets are an integral part of everyday life. In historiography, this topic is not new, but it is still not given enough attention. Perhaps this is due to the delicacy of the object? However, the ambiguity of the topic does not deny its relevance and importance, revealing the daily routine of the past. In this case various objects and constructions, discovered during archeological investigations, becomes very important. Their detailed analysis reveals not only the peculiarities of the construction of the privies, but also shows various aspects of everyday life, the attitude of the people of that time to cleanliness and personal hygiene. Cesspit localization analysis reflects the culture of garbage disposal, reveals some urban solutions. Content of the cesspits can show people’s eating habits, past illnesses, and even ingenuity (for example, by hiding expensive things in the privy). This article presents a brief history of the privies, their types and their construction in the middle Ages, presenting examples from Vilnius and foreign cities. Besides attention is paid to the possibilities of identifying such type of objects during archaeological research and, later, in the laboratory.