Oh, this is a fun one. So, I was reading this thread where someone basically asked, on behalf of a historian, what Native Americans used for, well, toilet paper in the colonial and pre-colonial periods. And honestly, I never would’ve thought to ask, but the answers were just… surprisingly fascinating.
The main response, from an archaeologist, just blew everyone away. It was this incredibly detailed dive into the actual evidence—like, they talked about studying preserved, uh, ancient poop, called coprolites, and what materials were found stuck to them. Apparently, it varied so much by region and culture. In Texas caves, they found smooth river rocks and chewed-up plant leaves. In the Southwest, corn cobs were common, even into more recent times. Up in the Arctic, some groups used handfuls of snow. In the Amazon, some cultures would use live saplings or specific leaves, and there was even this funny note about someone grabbing sassafras shoots and saying they were “going to kill a deer” as a little code. The expert also mentioned that high-fiber diets probably made things… easier to manage, let’s say. The sheer variety of solutions—from rabbit fur to moss to specific soft-leaved plants—really highlighted human ingenuity and adaptation to local environments. People were just amazed by the depth of the answer; it felt like a proper academic paper had just landed in the middle of a casual forum.
The reaction to all this was overwhelmingly positive and kind of awestruck. A lot of folks said they’d never thought about this question but were now weirdly grateful to know. There was this strong sense of appreciation for the experts who do this nitty-gritty, hands-on work to piece together everyday life from the past—things that never get written down. Someone put it really nicely, saying it’s dismaying how many human stories are lost, but this kind of research, even about something as basic as bathroom habits, helps recover a bit of that lost epic. It made people reflect on the incredible achievements and daily realities of ancient cultures in places that are now just, you know, parking lots or suburbs.
A few other archaeologists chimed in with their own experiences, like cataloging similar artifacts or finding sandals used as, well, “poo sticks,” which added more color. There was also some natural curiosity that branched off from the main answer—people wondering about related things, like what was used for menstrual care or baby diapers back then, or whether water was commonly used for cleaning in addition to wiping. The tone was mostly one of respectful curiosity and a bit of delight in the absurdity of learning such an intimate, universal detail about history.
Of course, there was the occasional joke—someone hoping this was the origin of the term “corn hole”—and a few reminders that this is exactly the kind of quirky, insightful knowledge-sharing that makes the internet worthwhile for them, as opposed to the usual noise. Overall, the discussion treated a seemingly silly question with genuine seriousness and came away with a deeper appreciation for both the science of archaeology and the diverse, practical realities of human life across centuries. It was one of those threads that just makes you smile and think, “Huh, people are amazing.”
