• myotheraccount@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Afaik that’s a myth. People of all classes, always washed themselves and tried their best not to smell. Especially in the middle ages where it was widely believed that bad smells transmit disease.

    • ddplf@szmer.info
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      2 days ago

      It may vary from region to region, I once visited the Museum of Soap and History of Dirt in Bydgoszcz, Poland (wonderful experience!) and it was all au contraire to what you just said

      And everytime I heard historians scratching that topic, they would always confirm this information. So historically not much hygiene in Eastern Europe, I suppose.

      • squaresinger@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        “The past” ^TM is a big place and a lot of very different things happend in a lot of different places at different times.

        The same way it is true that “In the past people believed that fat was super unhealthy and suger was super healthy” and at the same time “in the past people believed that fat was super healthy and suger was super unhealthy”.

        Both statements are correct for different times and regions.

    • Rolder@reddthat.com
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      2 days ago

      But trying your best as a medieval peasant versus as a medieval noble would have significantly differing results

    • devfuuu@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      We should bring back some of those traditions. It would be great it people cleaned more often.