Chinese archaeologists claim to have found what they believe to be the world's oldest flushing toilet, according to a report in CNN. The 2,400-year-old toilet box and pipe were discovered at an archaeological site in the Chinese city of Xi'an.
The manual toilet was discovered in the ruins of a palace in Yueyang, which researchers believe may date back to the Warring States period (424 BC) and into the Qin Dynasty (221 BC to 206 BC). Dubbed as "luxury toilet" by the researchers, the bathroom was believed to be inside the palace, with a pipe connecting to a pit outside, the outlet added.
Liu Rui, a researcher at the Institute of Archeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences who was part of the excavation team, said in a statement, "It is the first and only flush toilet to be ever unearthed in China. Everybody at the site was surprised and then we all burst into laughter."
The toilet would have likely been reserved for high-ranking officials during the Warring States Period and the later Han Dynasty. According to the researchers, the toilet could have been used by Qin Xiaogong or his father, Qin Xian'gong.
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Mr Liu noted that every time the toilet was used, servants would have likely poured water into the bowl. "The flush toilet is concrete proof of the importance the ancient Chinese attached to sanitation," he added.
Archaeologists are currently examining soil samples taken from the toilet in an effort to determine what people consumed at the time.
According to British Association of Urological Surgeons, prior to the discovery of this toilet, it was thought that the first manual flush toilet was invented in the 16th century by John Harington for Queen Elizabeth I.
