Archaeologists in China have unearthed the remains of what may be the oldest known “cistern” in the world.

Fragments of a 2,400-year-old toilet, as well as a curved pipe, were discovered last summer by a research team among the ruins of ancient palaces at the Yueyang archaeological site in the city of Xi’an.

Details of the discovery were released last week, offering a rare “window” into the lives of an ancient privileged elite who once lived in China.

Archaeologists call it a “luxury item” because it is believed that the toilet was located in the palace, and the pipe carried feces into an outdoor pit, state-run China Daily reported.

Liu Rui, a researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, explained that the toilet was probably reserved for high-ranking officials during the Warring States period (475-221 BCE) and also during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE). e. – 220 AD). The servants probably poured water into the basin after each use.

“The cistern toilet is a real testament to the importance the ancient Chinese attached to hygiene,” Liu said, noting that there were very few records of domestic toilets in ancient times.

Until the recently announced new discovery, the invention of the first toilet with a cistern was widely attributed to the Englishman John Harrington, who allegedly installed the original cistern by the standards of the time for Queen Elizabeth in the 16th century. However, 4,000-year-old sewer systems have been discovered in northwest India that could be connected to toilets.

The recent find contributes to a broader study of ancient Chinese dynasties and how people lived and how their cities were built, the institute said in a discovery statement.

Archaeologists are currently analyzing soil samples collected from the toilet in hopes of uncovering clues about the diet of the time.