Olive Oil Laundry in Ancient Athens
The laundry in ancient Athens didn’t reek of urine—it smelled faintly nutty and green.
Unknown — "Pair of gold armbands" (ca. 200 BCE), public domain
Laundry Day, Athenian Style
The laundry in ancient Athens didn’t reek of urine—it smelled faintly nutty and green. Instead of chemical concoctions, Athenians washed clothes with the dregs left over from pressing olives.
Oily Water and Stone Basins
Garments soaked in olive lees—gritty waste from oil pressing—then got a hard scrubbing in stone basins. Archaeologists dig up these basins, their surfaces still stained by years of oily water.
Instead of using harsh chemicals or urine like the Romans, Athenians washed their clothes with the leftovers from olive oil production. They soaked garments in water and 'lees'—the gritty waste from pressing olives—and scrubbed them clean. Archaeologists have found stone basins in Athenian houses stained by years of oily residue.
