Water and wastewater management in the treatment process of a Roman fullonica

Water and wastewater management in the treatment

process of a Roman fullonicaG. De Feo, Sabino De Gisi*

* University of Salerno, Department of Industrial Engineering, www.diin.unisa.it

via Ponte don Melillo – 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy, [email protected]

� Introduction

� The fullonica or fullery in the ancient civilizations

� The significant economic aspects of a Roman fullonica

� Historical and literature evindece

� Remains of fullonicae and the fulling treatment process

� Water and wastewater management system in a Roman

SummarySummary

� Water and wastewater management system in a Roman

fullery

� The fullonica of Stephanus in Pompeii as case study

� Conclusions

� References

Introduction

� As it is well known, the

processes of cleaning clothes

were well-organized in the

ancient world, especially in the

Roman period (Cleland et al.,

2007).

� From the economic point of

IntroductionIntroduction

Social and economic aspects of Social and economic aspects of fulleryfullery

An anecdote tells that the Emperor Aurelian refused his wife a silk dress because its

price was considered too expansive.� From the economic point of

view, the high price of the gowns

and the number of times that

they had to be washed were two

of the most significant aspects

that gave particular importance

to the art of the fullonica.

Emperor AurelianEmperor Aurelian


Social and economic aspects of Social and economic aspects of fulleryfulleryFirst you have to wash the clothes with dissolved earth

from Sardinia, then they have to be smoked with sulphur and, finally, they have to be purified with good coloured

cimolia earth.

� To wash the clothes and

remove stains, as Pliny

says, absorbent earths

were mixed with the urine

of camels and/or humans

used as soap due to the

alkaline salts contained.

C. FlaminiusC. Flaminius

For white robes after treatment with sulphur, it is more convenient to use the land called saxum sasso,

which, however, is not appropriate for coloured

clothes”.

alkaline salts contained.

� Other literature evidence

has reported in Frontinius

and Seneca according the

use of clear water and the

processing techniques,

respectively.

L. L. AemiliusAemilius

� Drawings depicting various phases of the

fulling process and, in particular, a drawing

of the press were found at Pompeii.

� The fullers are depicted as jumping into a

metal bowl filled with water. It seems that

small boys were used for this activity.

� From the pictorial representations, it can


Historical and literature evidenceHistorical and literature evidence

be deduced that both men and women

worked in the fullonicae.

� Probably women were occupied only to mend

the clothes, while men were involved in the

more strenuous activities (Real Museo

Borbonico, 1827; Davenport Adams, 1868).

Real Real MuseoMuseo BorbonicoBorbonico , Naples, Naples

� Flohr and Wilson (2011) stated that in the last century, the

use of urine for fullers was overstated.

� There is no reliable information about the quantities that

were needed in the production process.

� In particular, they argued that in order to work with a more

concentrated solution, the usual amount of liquid under the

feet of the fuller was rather limited.


Historical and Historical and leteratureleterature evidenceevidence

� Moreover, there is no evidence about the fact that fullers

collected their urine by means of vessels in front of their

workshops, as usually reported.

� Thus, it is not clear how Roman fullers collected and transported

the urine they used.

Objects of the workObjects of the work

The aim of this workThe aim of this work

� The aim of this work is to:

� identify the remains of Roman fullonicae in Italy;

� study the treatment process of a Roman fullery with

particular attention to the water and wastewater

management system as example of water reuse.

Remains of fullonicae and the fulling

treatment processtreatment process

Remains of Remains of fullonicaefullonicae at Pompeiiat Pompeii

(1) I 4, 7

(2) I 6, 7 (fullonica of Stephanus)

(3) I 10, 6

(4) V 1, 2

(5) VI 3, 6-7 (Accademia della Musica)

(6) VI 8, 20-21.2 (fullonica of Veranius Hypsaeus)

(7) VI 14, 21.22 (fullonica of Vesonius Primus)

(8) VI 15, 3 (fullonica of Mustius)

(9) VI 16, 3.4

(10) VI 16, 6

(11) VII 2, 41

(12) IX 6, a

(13) IX 13, 5-6 (fullonica of Fabius Ululitremulus)

Pompeii (Campania Region, Italy) Pompeii (Campania Region, Italy)

Remains of Remains of fullonicaefullonicae at Ostiaat Ostia

(1) I xiii, 3

(2) II iv, 5[12]

(3) II xi, 1

(4) II xi, 2

(5) III ii, 2

(6) V viii, 3

Ostia (Latium Region, Italy)Ostia (Latium Region, Italy)

Florance (Piazza della Signoria)

Ercolanum (IV, 5-7)

Rome

(1) Casal Bertone

(2) Ospedale militare del Celio

(3) Colle Oppio

The scale factorThe scale factor

A A fullingfulling factory in Ostiafactory in Ostia

� The almost complete dependence on

manual labour makes Rome a non-

industrial society.

� However, certain phenomena only seem

to have parallels in the modern world.

The fulling factories of Ostia and

Rome are a key example:Rome are a key example:� Purpose-built production halls;

� Large work groups (up to 100 people)

� Rationalisation of the production

process

� Separation of working and living

� Isolation from street and community

Roma a “preindustrial” metropolis,Roma a “preindustrial” metropolis,

example of organized work on great scaleexample of organized work on great scale

versusversus

The scale factorThe scale factor

� The fulling factories of

Pompeii are characterized: � Smaller workshop;

� Location in private houses;

� Work took place in family

contest;

� Craftsmanship basis social

identity

A A fullingfulling factory in Pompeiifactory in PompeiiThe The fullonicaefullonicae of Pompeii and of Pompeii and

ErcolanumErcolanum,,

example of smaller workshop example of smaller workshop

organized in private houses organized in private houses

without separation of working without separation of working

and living roomsand living rooms

identity

� Shops integrating workers

into their community.

The Oxford Roman Economy The Oxford Roman Economy

Project (OXREP)Project (OXREP)

MikoMiko FlohrFlohr (2011)(2011)

Water and wastewater management

� The water used in the fullery could be taken from the roof of the atrium and/or the

urban water supply system.

� Since the Pompeian follonicae were derived from private houses, they often

presented extemporaneous solutions for the water supply and even for the wastewater

discharge system, because in the construction of workshops, people made the most of

whatever material was available (Flohr, 2008b).

Water and wastewater managementWater and wastewater management

Water supply systemWater supply system

First mode: the First mode: the

roof of the atriumroof of the atriumSecond mode: the urban water supply systemSecond mode: the urban water supply system

� The floor and walls of the basin of the

rinsing complex were usually lined

with waterproof plaster, with all the

corners being strengthened with rims.

� The basins were fed with lead or

terracotta pipes (Flohr, 2008b).

� All the water from the various part of the



� All the water from the various part of the

workshop could be collected,

transported (usually underneath the

pavement) and discharged in the street

separately or in one drain.

� In order not to completely invade the

street, the wastewater usually

approached the street with an angle of

around 45°(Flohr, 2008b).

4545°°


BB33

Usually, water went in one direction from the first basin (B3) to the last basin where there is the discharge.Clothes follow the opposite direction and thus gradually become cleaner. Water in B2 is reused in the basin B1

DirectionDirection ofof clothscloths

Direction of dirty Direction of dirty

waterwater

BB11

BB22

The fullonica of Stephanus in Pompeii

� The common academic perception of the Roman fullonicae is significantly

influenced by the fullonica of Stephanus (I 6, 7) in Pompeii presented in literatura

as the “classic” Roman fullonica (Flohr, 2008a);

� The fullonica I 6, 7 is attributed to Stephanus, whose name appears in one of the

electoral inscriptions painted on the facade of the building;

� It was excavated in July 1912 as described in Spinazzola (1953).

The The fullonicafullonica of of StephanusStephanus in Pompeiiin Pompeii

Geographical frameworkGeographical framework

(I 6, 7) (I 6, 7) FulleryFullery of of StephanusStephanus


The The fullonicafullonica of of StephanusStephanus

The atriumThe atrium

TheThe workshopworkshop zonezone

Abbondanza’sAbbondanza’s streetstreet


The fullonica I 6, 7 is an house with a shop at the street (Via

dell’Abbondanza) and a workshop in the garden.


The flat roof and skylight


Drawings


Drawings and view on peristyle


There is no evidence that the basin B4 was used in the production process. In

fact, objects found in the atrium suggest that it was only a domestic ornamental basin,

with a fountain.


Versus the peristyle


The workshop zone


BasinBasin BB33

The complex of 3 basins

BasinBasin BB22

BasinBasin BB11


The The fullingfulling treatment processtreatment process


1) 1) The soaping phaseThe soaping phase

� In the soaping, the clothes were treated in small tubs called fulling stalls. The

single fulling stall can be seen as a batch reactor with the inlet clothes, the

urine and/or other alkaline substances (creta fullonica, terra umbrica, etc) as

chemical agents and the Roman fuller to provide the required mechanical

energy. With the application of the chemical agents, there is the elimination of

greases, fats and other pollutant agents.


The fulling stalls are located on two sides of the

rinsing complex: three (S1-S3) on the east side

and two (S4-S5) on the west side.

SS11

SS22

SS33


SS55 SS44

BasinBasin BB33

The fulling stalls are located on two sides of the

rinsing complex: three (S1-S3) on the east side

and two (S4-S5) on the west side.

BasinBasin BB33

Inlet fresh waterInlet fresh water


2) 2) The rinsing phaseThe rinsing phase

� The rinsing phase had the aim of removing residues of chemical agents as well as

dirt residues. This task was performed by the rinsing basins in the following order: B3

(containing the most dirty water: reused twice), B2 (containing the medium dirty water:

reused once) and B1 (containing fresh water coming from the urban water supply

system).


BasinBasin BB33BasinBasin BB33


BasinBasin BB11

BasinBasin BB22

BasinBasin BB33The route of dirty waterThe route of dirty water


The route of dirty waterThe route of dirty water


3) 3) The finishing phaseThe finishing phase

� The last phase of the fulling treatment process (finishing) consisted of several

treatments depending above all on the demands of the customers. Probably, the

treatment processes were: typing, carding, treatment with sulphur, screw press

and drying. The treatment with sulphur was carried out for the most delicate clothes

(white in colour) and those intended for dyeing.

� In the figure, a workman carrying a cage. The

clothes were hung on it. Below, the sulfur

was lit in order to whiten clothes. The owl is

the symbol above the cage of the fullers.

Real Real MuseoMuseo BorbonicoBorbonico , ,

NaplesNaples


The plant of the water and wastewater management systemThe plant of the water and wastewater management system

The probable zone of the discharge

The complex of the 3 basins


Inlet fresh waterInlet fresh water

The route of dirty water to The route of dirty water to

dischargedischarge


Lead pipe of the inlet fresh waterLead pipe of the inlet fresh water


Diameter = 4 cmDiameter = 4 cm


Probable route of the water

to discharge


Terracotta pipeTerracotta pipe

Conclusions

The following outcomes based on the performed study can be stated:

� in a fullonica there is a precise spatial organization with a sharp division in a

“wet” area (with the fulling facilities) and a “dry” area with particular care of

wastewater management;

� the use of urine as an alkaline chemical agent in the Roman fullonicae was

overstated;

� the fact that fullers collected their urine by means of vessels in front of their

ConclusionsConclusions

ConclusionsConclusions

� the fact that fullers collected their urine by means of vessels in front of their

workshops has to be considered as scholarly fiction since there is no written or

material evidence;

� it is not clear how the Roman fullers collected and transported the urine;

� the rinsing phase can be considered as a clear example of water reuse performed

in antiquity.

� The common academic perception of Roman fullonicae is significantly influenced

by the fullonica of Stephanus (I 6, 7) in Pompeii, example of “classic” Roman

fullonica.

� Cleland L., Davies G., Lloyd L.J. (2007), Greek and Roman dress from A to Z, Routledge, New York, USA.

� Davenport Adams W.H. (1868), The buried cities of Campania; or, Pompeii and Herculaneum, their history, their

destruction, and their remains, Edinburgh and New York.

� Flohr M. (2008a), Cleaning the Laundries, Rivista di Studi Pompeiani 18.

� Flohr M. (2008b), Cleaning the Laundries II. Report of the 2007 campaign, FastiOnlineDocuments&Research -

FOLD&R 2008, 111.

� Flohr M. (2009), Pompeii, I 6, 7 ('fullonica of Stephanus'), available on-line at http://www.mikoflohr.nl/archaeology.

� Flohr M. (2011a), Cleaning the Laundries III. Report of the 2008 campaign, FastiOnlineDocuments&Research -

FOLD&R 2011, 214.

ReferencesReferences

ReferencesReferences

FOLD&R 2011, 214.

� Flohr M. (2011b), Exploring the limits of skilled craftsmanship. The fullonicae of Roman Italy, in: N. Monteix and

N. Tran (eds), Les savoirs professionels des hommes de metier, Rome: Ecole Française de Rome.gens de

metier: etudes sur le monde du travail dans les societies urbaines de l’empire romain, Centre Jean Bèrard,

Naples, ISBN 978-2-918887-09-6.

� Flohr M. and A. Wilson (2011), The economy of Ordure, in: Jansen G.C.M., Koloski-Ostrow A.O., Moormann

E.M., Roman Toilets, 2011, VIII-224 p., Peeters Publishers, Leuven, Belgium.

� Real Museo Borbonico (1827), Volume quarto, Napoli, dalla stamperia reale (Fourth volume, Naples, from the

printing real), Naples, Italy.

� Spinazzola V. (1953), Pompei alla luce degli Scavi Nuovi di via dell’Abbondanza (Pompeii in the light of the New

Excavations of via dell’Abbondanza), Rome, Italy.

SabinoSabino DE GISIDE GISI

Ph.D., Environmental engineerPh.D., Environmental engineer

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, ITALYDepartment of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, ITALY

www.diin.unisa.it/t www.diin.unisa.it/t -- [email protected]@unisa.it

Water and wastewater management in the treatment process of a Roman fullonica

Engineering

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