Going behind a bush was not for the Romans, these masters of plumbing had both public and private toilets – basically just a seat with a hole. Going to the loo could be a scary business in Roman times - public latrines like those that can be seen at Pompeii were notorious for terrifying customers when flames exploded from the seat openings. These were caused by gas explosions of hydrogen sulphide and methane that were noxious as well as frightening. Customers also had to worry about rats and other small vermin threatening to bite their bottoms. And then there was the perceived threat of demons that the Romans believed inhabited these black holes. There was no toilet paper, just a communal sponge of wool, moss or leaves on a stick.
The Romans had city sewers – but very few toilets were linked to them as there was no trap to stop things coming up through the drain and into the house. Allegedly, a wealthy Iberian merchant in the city of Puteoli who had his indoor toilet linked to the sewer had nightly visits from a giant octopus that swam into the sewer from the sea and proceeded up through the house drain in the toilet to eat all the pickled fish stored in the pantry.