Most people know that talking a bath was not a common practice in Europe during the middle ages. For example Queen Elizabeth I bathed no more than once a month.
If you were to ask most Americans where the concept of bathing originated, people would say the Greek or the Romans, around 2000 years ago. However they acquired the practice from the residents of the Indian subcontinent a thousand years earlier. The practice must have been carried back with the vibrant spice trade or other cultural interchange. Here is what a European Cosmetics website says, ” The word hygiene comes from the Greek goddess of health, Hygie. The Ancient Greeks adopted the idea of bathing from the Hindus—the people of the Indian subcontinent were familiar with the beneficial effects of bathing 3,000 years ago.”
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
