Talk:Xylospongium

There is no academic consensus that the sponge was used for wiping. Primary sources make no such claim and none clearly indicate such a use. This is largely an older assumption made without evidence, now peddled by lowbrow news sources simply because it sounds sensational. The current academic trend is to assume that it was used as exactly what it appears: a toilet brush. Please maintain neutral PoV and do not repeat sensational claims without evidence. The disagreement should be mentioned, but one interpretation should not be allowed to dominate the article. Please use reliable academic sources and not otherwise unsourced sensational news articles. -- Dantai Amakiir (talk) 10:33, 3 December 2023 (UTC)

Can you point to some sources regarding this? Because Google Scholar is bringing up several recent articles that claim it was a wiping brush.--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 02:56, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

I do not see those sources when I do a search. I see several articles which state the toilet brush theory, but they all cite Wiplinger, who is already cited here. Feel free to add those citations you mention. All I care about is neutral PoV and that claims are correctly cited. Dantai Amakiir (talk) 19:36, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

Could you provide some of those articles please, as I was not able to find any? Wiplinger is cited just as a secondary source and all I was able to find was his book in german (which i do not speak and therefore cannot with clear conscience make statements on its validity as a source), I would be very curious to see Wiplinger’s sources for his claims. I understand the need to present all sides of a discussion and fully agree with it, but all sources siding with one theory being sourced just from one person is a reasonable ground for scepticism. Grandgilbert of Gilbertburg (talk) 00:51, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

Other possible uses

In Anal cleansing, it claims that the Romans "used a sponge on the end of a stick to clean themselves after defecating, the stick being pushed through the hole in the front of the toilet" (which I can see in the photograph on this page. I'm going to assume it's referring the the xylospongium. Shouldn't it mention that some people believe this is the case? It just says that "one of the possible uses" is as a primitive toilet brush. What about the other possible use(s)? I'm also going to go back and add a link to this article in the other one. Personally, I think the other explanation makes more sense than the "toilet brush" one, based on the openings in the toilet bowls, but that's just my personal hunch. AnnaGoFast (talk) 04:13, 27 February 2016 (UTC)

Go for it. I got here from the toilet paper article and it also stated that these sticks were used for wiping the anus. This article seems to only imply that they were used for cleaning the toilet itself. Succubus MacAstaroth (talk) 12:48, 14 June 2016 (UTC)

Ey bro

Pass the shit stick 70.67.141.111 (talk) 03:01, 20 December 2021 (UTC)

Wrong talk page bro, go to Shit stick for that joke. ~2026-39758-51 (talk) 21:04, 20 July 2026 (UTC)