20 Gross Facts About Hygiene In The Mongol Empire That Are Not For The Faint-Hearted
While some picture Genghis Khan at the head of an army of brutal raiders, the continent-spanning Mongol Empire was in fact one of the largest in human history. That’s a remarkable feat, and one achieved through newly developed technology (for the time anyway) and military cunning. Yet despite the advanced nature of this kingdom, there were some pretty odd ideas going around when it came to hygiene. Looking back today, a few of the Mongols’ practices seem absolutely bizarre – not to mention a little gross. So here’s a look at 20 of the most nauseating.
20. Don’t wash your hands
It seems that the Mongols weren’t that big on washing their hands before or after meals. Even when they ended up covered in bits of meat, fat and grease, they apparently declined to find some water to clear away the worst of it. Instead, they’d just wipe it away on their garments. Yuck!
Greasy insulation
That obviously meant these people’s clothes were then covered in animal oils and lard. That sounds horrible, but there was actually a logic behind it. Because all this fat on their attire would serve as a sort of insulation, which was handy when they were exposed to the often harsh elements of their territory.
19. Don’t dare drink from your own cup
Every culture has its traditions when it comes to people sharing a drink together. The Mongols, though, had quite a strange one. Rather than a group of people clinking glasses and taking a sip from their own cups, they were known to all share the same one. Not exactly that hygienic, folks.
Poison precautions
As with the habit of rubbing their dirty hands on their clothes, though, there was also a logic to drinking from one cup. The Mongols were terribly afraid of being poisoned, you see, so this was a way of protecting against it. And it wasn’t just a drinking habit – Ghenkis Khan made it the law!
