this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2025
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I probably haven't studied this topic enough, but it does seem like other cultures at the time had a better handle on hygiene than Europeans. I'm sure part of the issue was the feudalism, but idk
Eleanor Janega talks about this a lot but being super stinky and not bathing is an early modern phenomenon. Medieval people washed and bathed as much as they could.
They took less "baths" because a tub of hot water is a lot of work. The solution? They took sponge baths. They definitely had different hygiene standards compared to us but they had standards.
Definitely. Also in cities and towns they would use economy of scale and have dedicated bathhouses.
Medieval people would stink less than Romans as they actually had soap instead of perfumed olive oils.
Yeah you would often wash off a bit after work etc, but generally people loved taking a bath and would try do it frequently if they could, I think weekly wasn't uncommon.