Trois latrines publiques dans la Jérash de l'Antiquité tardive (Jordanie)

This study describes three public latrines excavated in Jerash. It examines their location in the city, their layout and also their water supply and drainage systems. Comparisons with facilities found in other parts of the Near East, allow to estimate how many people could have used them. The focus of this study is a latrine that was excavated between 2008 and 2010 as a part of the Danish-Jordanian Islamic Jerash Project. Integrated in the layout of Jerash's Central Bathhouse, the latrine was in use from the 4th to the late 7th century. The latrine was constructed for the use of patrons of the Central Bathhouse, but could also be used by non-bathers, who could access the facilities without paying the fee to enter the bathhouse. The material retrieved from the latrine sewer not only offers a rare insight into activities taking place within the bathhouse, but also gives an insight into how waste disposal could be organised in the centre of the city.