150-year-old royal lavatory discovered in Joseon Palace

Archaeologists have discovered a large-scale lavatory with a septic system built about 150 Years Ago during the late Joseon dynasty era in the Royal Palace in central Seoul. 

Researchers from the Ganghwa National Research Institute revealed a toilet site that has a similar facility to the modern-day septic tank located south of Donggung (Palace of the Crown Prince), Gyeongbokgung Palace.

 

Public restrooms at palace / This image, provided by the Ganghwa National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage on July 8, 2021, shows restored public restrooms, which had been excavated inside Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul. The facility, which is 10.4 meters long, 1.4 meters wide and 1.6 meters high, is estimated to have been built 150 years ago.

 

 

This long and thin-shaped stone feature measures 10.4 m long, 1.4 m with, and 1.8 m deep.

Some historical sources including the Gyeongbokgungbaechido (景福宮配置圖: The Plan of the Gyeongbokgung Palace) and the Bukgweoldohyeong (北闕圖形: The Figure of the NorthernPalace) record the locations and dimensions of the lavatories in Gyeongbokgung Palace.

According to the sources, the largest one was 75.5 kans; and most lavatories were located in the densely populated area in the palace. In particular, many lavatories were situated close to the Geolnaegaksa Office (闕內各司) south of Gyeonghoeru (慶會樓: The Royal Banquet Hall), Donggung Palace, and the area of the National Fork Museum of Korea. 

The location of this structure indicates that it was used for the people serving the Palace of the Crown Family, i.e., low-ranking officials, court ladies, and gatekeepers. The buildings around Donggung Palace were completed in 1868, the 5th year of King Gojong’s reign; but they were severely damaged in 1915, the Japanese Colonial Era. At that time, this site was cleared for holding the Chosun Local Products Expo. 

 

soil layers inside the bathroom

 

Along with historical sources, such as the Gyeongbokgungbaechido and the Gunggweolji (宮闕志: Records of the Royal Palace), organic matters recovered from soil samples, which includes parasitic eggs (18,000 eggs per gram) and plant seeds (cucumber, eggplant and perilla) demonstrate that it was the lavatory.

On the basis of the records of the Gyeongbokgung yeonggeonilgi (景福宮 營建日記: The Daily Log of the Construction Works of the Gyeongbokgung Palace), the determined AMS radiocarbon dates of the samples, and the stratigraphic profile of the feature, it is postulated that this lavatory was built in 1868 when the reconstruction of the palace was completed, and was used for about 20 years. 

 

 

 

The lavatory measures 10.4 m long, 1.4 m wide and 1.8 m deep. To prevent leaks of the human wastes out of the structure, its bottom and four walls are built of stones. It has an inlet and two outlets. As the influent was mixed with excrements, human wastes were fermented rapidly, and their volumes were decreased.

These resulted in the deposition of the sludge on the bottom and the effluence of the wastewater out of the palace. The remaining fermented impurities, which had less odor and toxin, could be used as fertilizers. Therefore, this feature has the similar function to the modern-day septic tank. 

Based on the records of historical sources, which mention that a lavatory is 4 or 5 kans in dimension, it is estimated that this lavatory had a capacity of 10 people maximum. By considering the measure of capacity of the structure (16.22㎥), it could cover about 150 people for a year, about five times higher than the lavatory without the septic system.

 

 

 

According to Lee Jang-hun (Director, the Korean Institute of Odor Studies), there were few large-scale lavatories with the septic system around 150 years ago. In Korea, a lavatory with the drainage system, which belongs to the Baekje Period, was found at the Wanggung-ri site, Iksan City.

However, this feature was not equipped with the developed sceptic system like the feature found at Gyeongbokgung Palace. The septic system of this feature is the unique Korean style; and the sewage system treating domestic sewages and human wastes was established by the late 19th century in Europe and Japan. 

In China, a large-scale wooden pail for storing human wastes was equipped in the house, but there is no information on their treatments.   

 

 

 

The excavation results of this feature will provide invaluable sources for reconstructing the daily life of the royal place in the Joseon Period. To share the achievements of this excavation with researchers and the public, the Ganghwa Institute of Cultural Heritage will release the video on YouTube on July 12. 

● http://www.youtube.com/user/chluvu 

문화재청 Korea Cultural Heritage Administration

● https://www.youtube.com/nrichpr

 

 

* The anaerobic bacterial environment is developed in the septic tank. Human wastes are decomposed or mineralized in the tank. 

* Gyeongbokgungbaechido (景福宮配置圖: The Plan of the Gyeongbokgung Palace) : This illustration depicting the plan of the place in 1888-1890 is collected in the Korea University Museum.  

* Bukgweoldohyeong (北闕圖形: The Figure of the NorthernPalace) : This illustration depicting the plan of the place in 1888-1890 is collected in the Korea University Museum. 

* The Chosun Local Products Expo was a colonial fair, which exhibiting objects collected from all over the country, held in the ground of Gyeongbokgung Palace from the 11th of August to 30th of October, 1915. This fair was held for justifying the Japan’s annexation of Korea. 

* The lavatories are marked in ‘cheuk (厠)’ or ‘cheukgan (廁間)’ in both illustrations. 

* Geolnaegaksa Office (闕內各司) : It was the office that managed the affairs of the royal palace. 

*  The National Folklore Museum established in 1975 was built in the sector for court ladies. Most structures of this area were demolished in the Japanese Colonial Era; and this area was vacant before the construction of the museum. 

* Gunggweolji (宮闕志: Records of the Royal Palace) : This book, which was published in 1904, records the dimensions and uses of the building features in the Gyeongbokgung Palace. 

* Gyeongbokgung yeonggeonilgi (景福宮 營建日記: The Daily Log of the Construction Works of the Gyeongbokgung Palace) : This log, which was written by Won, Se-cheol, an official of the Hanseong Municipal Office, records the construction process of the palace from April 1865 to July 1868. 

* AMS : Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating is an advanced technique used to measure the Carbon-14 content of materials.

* In Korea, the average amount of the excreted human waste per person was 1.2 liter in the