page_title: Latrine
hierarchical_section_title: Latrine
caption_attribution_description: English: Ancient Roman latrines / latrinae, Ostia Antica Nederlands: Oud-Romeins openbaar toiletFrançais&#160;: Latrines romaines à Ostie.
context_page_description: A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground, or more advanced designs, including pour-flush systems.
  The term "latrine" is still commonly used in emergency sanitation situations. Nowadays, the word "toilet" is more commonly used than "latrine", except for simple systems like "pit latrine" or "trench latrine".
  The use of latrines was a major advancement in sanitation over more basic practices such as open defecation, and helped control the spread of many waterborne diseases.
context_section_description: A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground (pit latrine), or more advanced designs, including pour-flush systems.
  The term "latrine" is still commonly used in emergency sanitation situations. Nowadays, the word "toilet" is more commonly used than "latrine", except for simple systems like "pit latrine" or "trench latrine".
  The use of latrines was a major advancement in sanitation over more basic practices such as open defecation, and helped control the spread of many waterborne diseases.
caption: Roman public latrine found in the excavations of Ostia Antica; unlike modern installations, the Romans saw no need to provide privacy for individual users.
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