Roman soldiers used this built-in fridge to keep their wine cool

[ogora]

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/09/archaeologists-roman-soldiers-used-this-built-in-fridge-to-keep-their-wine-cool/

[jkic47]

I've seen versions of this in Asia. They used a porous pot into which they put the container of stuff they wanted to cool. As the water evaporated, it cooled the water, which cooled the container, which cooled the contents.

I still remember drinking what felt like an icy drink compared to the ridiculously high temperatures outside. Happy days...

[ogora → jkic47]

It's definitely more sophisticated than dipping a vessel into a river overnight... which is the only other "ancient refrigerator" I know about.