Vespasianae of Athens, Ancient public latrine in Roman Agora, Greece

The Vespasianae is a square public latrine building of the 1st century AD in the Roman Agora of Athens, north of the Tower of the Winds. Seats with a round hole in the middle ran in rows along all four sides, with a drainage channel beneath them, and the entrance was on one side only. A pitched roof covered the structure.

The Vespasianae were built in the 1st century AD as the public latrine of the Roman Agora of Athens. They take their name from Emperor Vespasian, who had similar buildings erected across the empire. A fee was charged for use, which gave rise to the saying "pecunia non olet" (money does not smell).

The latrine served as a social meeting place where people from different backgrounds encountered one another in a casual setting. This shared space reveals how public facilities brought together members of society who might not otherwise interact in such an informal way.

The latrine occupies the northeastern corner of the Roman Agora, just north of the Tower of the Winds, so approach it from that side of the excavated square. Only one side of the square building held the entrance, which helps a visitor read the plan of the four seating rows on site.

The name Vespasianae comes from Emperor Vespasian, who ordered similar latrines built across the empire. A fee was charged for using them, and this tax on urine is linked to his line "pecunia non olet" — money does not smell. The building stood at the northeast edge of the Roman Agora, north of the Tower of the Winds.