THE ROMANS BATHSThe history of Roman baths

By Chiara Nervo and Francesca Guidi

The first baths were born in the third century b.C., in places where it was possible to take advantage of natural springs of warm water or with special curative powers. Over time, especially in the imperial age, this habit spread also into the cities, because new techniques for heating the water had been developed and baths became complicated structures

CALIDARIUM : This was a very hot and steamy room, heated by a hypocaust , an underfloor heating system. This was the hottest room in the regular sequence of bathing rooms.

TEPIDARIUM : The tepidarium was the warm (tepidus) bathroom of the Roman baths heated by a hypocaust or underfloor heating system.The specialty of a tepidarium is the pleasant feeling of constant radiant heat which surrounds the human body from the walls and floor.

FRIGIDARIUM : it is a large cold pool of the Roman baths. It was usually entered after the Caldarium and the Tepidarium, which were used to open the pores of the skin. The cold water would close the pores.

GYM : the gym was the place where the ancient Romans trained, because it was their tradition thinking that in correspondence to a healthy body there was a healthy mind, hence the proverb “ mens sana, in corpore sano”.

DRESSING ROOM : It was the room where the Romans used to change their clothes before and after the hours spent relaxing at the baths.

LIBRARY : Sometimes at the baths there was also the library. In this way the Romans could relax themselves, reading books.

Water provision of the great imperial baths were insured by acqueducts. The water didn’t arrive directly to the building but it was collected in special tanks, built near the bath plant. From the tanks a complex distribution sistem, brought water along the tubes into the baths.

CARACALLA’S BATHSAmong the Roman baths, the most famous and best preserved are the wonderful Caracalla’s baths, built in Rome between AD 212 and 216.

BATH: Roman thermae in England

BADEN BADEN: an example of Roman baths in Germany