Indoor toilets have been invented several times in Western history. One of the last times was during the Elizabethan era, when a simple long drop system was used, especially when the building in question was on top of a hill or overlooking a cliff or body of water. There, rainwater was collected in a barrel on the roof, and allowed to flush staggered toilets below in a privy tower. However, the resulting smell was not really all that nice, and consequently, the space immediately adjacent to the room-with-the-toilet was walled off into a little room called the "privy chamber". Since a person on the pot was singularly vulnerable to attack, only the ruler's more trusted fellows were allowed in, and consequently, it became a good place to hold high-security meetings, even after people stopped using the jakes and started using chamberpots instead. You may now giggle when you hear the words "Privy Council" -- I doubt whether anyone meeting knows about this.

And no, I did not make this up.

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