why ...


Do we say that money has no smell ?

This proverb is often attributed to the roman emperor Vespasien as a reply to his son, Titus, who chastised him on his wish to impose a tax on urine.

In the ancient roman empire, urine from public toilets, was collected for use in the tanning industry as a means to de-grease wool.

Vespasien had the idea of creating a tax for the collection of said urine.

One day his son then thrust a handfull of despoiled coins under his nose and then asked him if the odour offended him ...

As late as the 19th centuary, parisiens referred to public toilets as the 'vesperians' in memory to this anecdote