Thermal baths are private and public. Ancient baths in Rome: a history of tradition

The ancient Romans were among the first to build rooms designed specifically for washing, steaming and relaxing. They called their baths thermae, since the place for construction was always chosen near sources of thermal waters, of which there were a great many in the territory of Ancient Rome. Moreover, preference was given to those sources in which the temperature was similar to the natural temperature of the human body, that is, 35-37 degrees.

In ancient times, Roman baths were built near thermal springs.

Heating Features

The Roman bath was characterized by a rather original heating system. To maintain optimal temperature conditions, thermal water was used, which was supplied to the baths through pipes, thus heating the room. The water temperature in the pool was also maintained by thermal waters.

Below, under the floor of the Roman baths, there were boilers with water and stoves, hot steam flowed through pipes into the steam room. The heated air went into the double floor, and then through ceramic pipes built into the wall into the steam room. Therefore, the thermal bath warmed up very well.

Another feature of Roman baths is the high humidity of some rooms, reaching 100%. Therefore, to produce steam, there was always a stove in the center of the hall.

Roman baths premises

Public baths of ancient Rome were a cult place, striking in its size. There were about six main rooms directly related to bath procedures.

The first room was called apodytherium - this is a kind of dressing room, that is, a cool room where vacationers undressed and left their clothes.

Next we had to visit the tepidarium, where the temperature was already around 40°. In this fairly warm room, it was possible to warm up so that the body did not receive a sharp shock from the high temperature of the steam room. There was also a swimming pool where you could swim and improve your physical fitness.

The next room to go to was the callidarium, with the temperature already around 60 - 70°. This is a humid, steamy room where the body heats up, intense sweating and, as a result, accumulated toxins are removed. This room also included a pool with warm thermal water.

If desired, the vacationer could also visit a hotter, drier steam room called laconium, where the temperature remained around 85°. Since the air here is dry and hot, it was not recommended to spend more than 10 minutes in the laconium.

After the hot air of the steam room, you could rest and relax in a cool room called the frigidarium, which always had a pool with cold water.

The prototype of a modern spa salon can be considered a lavarium - a room where people rubbed themselves with oils, doused themselves with water and performed massage treatments.

The Roman Bath Therma is designed for communication

The Roman bath was intended not only for bathing, but also for socializing, which is why they were so large.

The Roman bath of yesteryear represented a unique center of public life. Here they not only steamed and swam, but also relaxed their souls and enjoyed communication. In the huge rooms of the baths for the cultural life of the Romans, libraries, rest rooms, gymnasiums, and massage rooms were provided.

To delight the eyes of vacationers, the interior was distinguished by extraordinary luxury. Just look at the cost of expensive marble basins, basins made of gold or silver, washstands made of precious metals! The Roman baths were decorated with sculptures, paintings, hanging gardens, and entire systems of fountains.

Modern thermal baths

A Roman bath involves several rooms with different temperatures.

It is worth recognizing that modern baths, unfortunately, do not have much in common with their ancient predecessors. Of course, some features have been preserved, but the scale has been much reduced, and the heating principle is different.

In any case, Roman baths are not a cheap pleasure, because they must have several rooms with different air temperatures and humidity, and there must also be at least 2 large pools in which you can swim, and not just take a dip. In addition, for cladding the internal surfaces in the classic version of the Roman bath, only marble, natural stones, and expensive mosaics are used.

In real thermal baths there must be special, special heated loungers, fountains and, of course, thermal springs. That is why it is very difficult to realize the idea of ​​​​building a classic Roman bath. Currently, more budget options are most often built, which can be called Roman baths, unfortunately, with a large degree of convention.

Among the main attractions of Rome that have survived to this day, a place of honor is occupied by the baths - huge public baths, which were very popular among the ancient Romans.

Having heard about baths as attractions, one might be surprised - how can a building with a purely domestic purpose arouse such interest? But having seen the public baths, the “great baths” built by the Roman emperors, doubts are quickly dispelled. These are real palaces, where washing the body was far from the only activity...

Roman bath: what is it?

The baths played an important role in the life of the Romans. They appeared in the third century BC, but for a long time were available only to the nobility. At the beginning of the first millennium, emperors began to build public baths on a colossal scale, where about three thousand visitors could be present at a time. It is noteworthy that such bath complexes were built for free access. It was a kind of “gift” from the emperor to mere mortals.

The thermal baths necessarily included several rooms:

Apodyteria - dressing room and dressing room;
Caldarium (caldarium) - a room with dry heat of high temperature, around it there were steam rooms and washing rooms;
Tepidarium (tepidarium) - a room with dry heat of average temperature;
Frigidarium (frigidarium) - a room with a pool (often open) filled with cool water, where they cooled down after the steam room;
Alipterium - a room for massage and rubbing with oils.

The Romans considered visiting the thermal baths a cultural event, so the interior furnishings had to correspond to this purpose. The Roman baths were always clean, neat and beautiful. The interior was decorated with mosaics, frescoes and sculptures. In the outer courtyard, flowering gardens were laid out, fountains, gazebos and alleys for walks were built. An integral part of the thermal baths were small stadiums, covered jogging galleries and gymnasiums. Reading rooms, amphitheaters, stages for performances, etc. were also required. The baths were the centers of public life in Rome.

6 most popular baths in Rome

Baths of Agrippa

The very first “great baths” (1st century AD), which appeared in Rome near the Pantheon.

They were named after their founder, Marcus Agrippa. The complex of these baths underwent numerous changes during its history and was even partially destroyed, but its ruins still remain to this day.

There are the remains of the great baths on the narrow street Via dell "Arco della Ciambella, sandwiched in a dense building of more modern buildings.

Baths of Titus

Emperor Titus built these baths in the 1st century AD. e. on the site of the burnt palace of Nero, 100 meters from the Colosseum.

The baths have not been preserved in their original form, but even from the remains of the architectural structure one can understand how large-scale this structure was. There were many premises on the territory of the complex, including a reading room and a theater. The façade of the building faced the Colosseum.

The ruins of the baths are located on the street of the same name, a stone's throw from the Colosseum metro station.

Baths of Trajan

The Baths of Emperor Trajan (2nd century AD), are located a few meters from the Baths of Titus, on the same field where Nero's huge palace (Domus Aurea) once stood.

The complex is not currently active, but from excavations at its ruins, historians have established that the baths occupied an area of ​​about 100,000 m². Underneath them, underground tunnels were built for service personnel.

The thermal baths are located on the street that bears their name, Via delle Terme di Traiano.

Baths of Caracalla

The Baths of Caracalla (3rd century AD), perhaps better than others, allow us to appreciate the scale with which the imperial baths were built. Their majestic ruins resemble the remains of a palace rather than a public bath.

The entire complex occupies an area of ​​more than 150,000 m², and the area of ​​all its premises is about 30,000 m². The baths could accommodate about 2,000 visitors at a time. Their services included: steam rooms, swimming pools, massage rooms, a theatre, stadium, gymnasiums, gardens for walking, terraces for outdoor recreation and much more. All buildings were clad in marble and decorated with intricate mosaics and sculptures.

Finding these baths is not difficult: they are located along the street, which is called Via delle Terme di Caracalla (Circo Massimo metro station).

Baths of Diocletian

The Baths of Emperor Diocletian were built in the 4th century AD. e. The bath complex is striking in its scale; its area was 130,000 m².

These dimensions are easy to imagine by walking around the objects that were built on the site of the former baths: the former territory of the gardens is now occupied by Piazza della Repubblica, the building of the main hall was rebuilt into the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, in another former building of the baths there is the National Roman Museum, and another hall was rebuilt into the church of San Bernardo alle Terme. The main train station in Rome, Termini, is also named after the Baths of Diocletian.

You can get to the Baths of Diocletian by metro: get off at Repubblica - Teatro Opera station or at Termini.

Baths of Constantine

This bath complex was built by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD. e., in the southern part of the Quirinal (this is one of the seven hills of Rome). These are the last of the imperial baths. After Emperor Constantine, public baths of this scale were no longer built in Rome.

Today, only ruins remain of the baths of Constantine. Their central building was occupied by the current Exhibition Palace (Palazzo delle Esposizioni), on the site of another thermal baths building, another palace was built - Palazzo della Consulta, and part of the thermal baths was destroyed to build the Via Nazionale street.

Among the ruins there are the remains of libraries, bathing halls, porticos, etc. But even from them one can imagine the beauty and scale of the structure that was here during the time of Constantine.

Those that have survived to this day occupy a very honorable place. We are talking about huge public baths, previously extremely popular among the ancient Romans.

Naturally, when one hears that a bathhouse can be considered as a tourist attraction, the question involuntarily arises: how could it be that an essentially domestic building arouses any interest at all? And yet, having seen these public baths, or “great baths,” any doubts regarding the objectivity of classifying them as attractions simply disappear. In this case, we are talking practically about real palaces, and washing the body was not the only possible activity here...

In the life of Rome and its inhabitants in particular, baths played an important role. They appeared quite a long time ago, back in the 3rd century BC, but for a long time they were a kind of luxury, available only to the nobility. Later, at the beginning of the first millennium, public Roman baths began to be built, simply colossal in scale - just try to imagine a certain bathhouse in which approximately 3,000 people could be present at the same time! We also note that the use of bath complexes was free of charge. We can say that the emperor presented such a “gift” to mere mortals.

There were several rooms in the thermal baths of Rome. This:

• Apodyteria – a room in the form of a dressing room and dressing room;
• Caldarium - a room surrounded by washing rooms and steam rooms, characterized by high temperature and dry heat;
• Tepidarium - a room characterized by medium temperature and dry heat;
• Frigidarium - a room in which there was a pool (mostly open) with cool water in it; after the steam room they went here to cool off;
• Alipterium - massages using body oils were performed in this room.

It should be noted that the Romans treated visiting the baths as a cultural event, and therefore the situation inside required compliance with this kind of purpose. Roman architecture has always been characterized by such features as order, cleanliness and neatness.

Mosaics, sculptures and frescoes were used to decorate the interiors. The outer courtyards were decorated with fountains and flowering gardens, alleys and gazebos. Without fail, Roman baths included gymnastics halls, running alleys, and small stadiums. Also, among the mandatory components, they included amphitheaters, reading rooms, stages for performances, etc.

Thus, it can be summarized by the general purpose of the terms that they acted as unique centers of leisure in the public life of Rome.

The most popular baths in Rome

Let's look at the most popular Roman baths.

Baths of Agrippa

These were the first so-called “great baths”, whose appearance dates back to the 1st century AD. They appeared near the Pantheon in Rome. Their name was received in honor of Marcus Agrippa, their founder. This complex has undergone a lot of changes over the history of its existence, and some of it was even destroyed. To this day, all that remains of it are ruins.

They can be seen on the narrow street Via dell’Arco della Ciambella, where they are practically squeezed due to the dense development of Rome with more modern buildings.

Roman Baths: Baths of Titus

These Roman baths were also built in the 1st century AD, on the territory previously occupied by the palace of Nero and subsequently destroyed by fire. By the way, there are Roman baths 100 meters from the Colosseum.

The building of Emperor Titus has not been preserved in the form that was originally intended for it, but even looking at the ruins of this structure, it is not difficult to notice its scale. The territory of the complex, as expected, had many additional rooms; there was also a reading room and a theater. The façade of the building faced the Colosseum.

The remains of the Baths of Rome are located a couple of steps from the Colosseum metro stop, on the street of the same name.

Accordingly, here we are talking about the construction under the emperor of Rome Trajan, the baths are dated to the 2nd century AD. They are located near the previously considered terms - the terms of Titus. They occupied the same part of the field that belonged to the burnt palace of Nero in Rome.

At this time this is not a functioning complex. During excavations, it was found that the total area of ​​these baths in Rome was about 100,000 square meters. Moreover, under the complex there were also underground tunnels intended for the service personnel of the thermal baths.

Via delle Terme di Traiano is the name of the street in Rome where you can see these baths.

The construction dates back to the 3rd century AD. By examining them, one can obtain the most complete picture of the scale with which the construction of the imperial baths was carried out. Even the ruins look so majestic that one can rather assume that they belong to a palace that was built here in the past, but certainly not to a public bathhouse.

The area of ​​this complex is approximately over 150,000 square meters, while the area of ​​the thermal premises available here is approximately 30,000 square meters in total. At the same time, these baths could be visited by 2000 people. The list of services is quite extensive, in particular, steam rooms and swimming pools, a stadium, a theater, terraces and gardens for walks and outdoor recreation, massage rooms, gymnastics rooms, etc.

Marble was used to decorate all buildings, in addition, sculptures and sophisticated mosaics were used as decoration.

You can see these baths on the street of Rome with the same name, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, you can get here by metro. Circo Massimo is the station where you need to get off.

In order to avoid long queues at the entrance to the Baths of Caracalla, we buy tickets in advance via the Internet.

These Roman baths were built in the next, 4th century AD. The scale of the bath complex in Rome, as in previous cases, is simply amazing, because its total area was 130,000 square meters. Taking a walk around Rome around the objects erected on the site of a former vacation spot, you can appreciate what their inherent dimensions are.

So, in the place where the gardens used to be, there is now a square called Piazza della Repubblica. The building, which was used as the main hall, was converted into a church - this is Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. The other thermae building is now the National Roman Museum. Another of the halls was also converted into a church, it is called San Bernardo alle Terme. Termini, and this is the main station of the capital, was also named after the terms of Diocletian that we are considering.

You can get here by getting off at Termini or Repubblica – Teatro Opera stations.

This complex in Rome was built in the 4th century AD. under Emperor Constantine. It is located on one of the hills of Rome (there are seven hills in total), this is the southern part of the Quirinal.

The Romans are the founders of all modern baths. These establishments were quite in demand and popular in those days. Later, the idea of ​​a bathhouse was adopted by other nationalities around the globe.

The history of baths in Ancient Rome

Roman baths were created in the likeness of the Greek baths; they were erected in large buildings. The approximate date of their origin is the 3rd century BC. However, Greek baths gained mass popularity after their appearance in. Thanks to the residents of the Eternal City, other countries began to borrow the bathhouse construction project.

The Importance of Public Baths in Ancient Rome

The public and social life of the city flourished in the Roman baths; they had a special significance. The Romans came here not only to cleanse their bodies. They spent their leisure time in the thermal baths, communicated, exchanged news and opinions on important topics. Absolutely all levels of society were here: local celebrities, nobles, rich people, ordinary citizens and the poor. Most likely, for this reason the number of public baths grew every year, because bath in ancient Rome- This is a kind of center of culture and recreation. Only a few Roman citizens could afford to build baths at home. Baths in Rome included not only rooms for washing, but also for other activities. There were libraries, entertainment rooms and gymnasiums - halls for physical exercise.

Construction of Roman baths in Ancient Rome

The Roman bath is a huge building made of stone; it could accommodate 3 thousand people. Its microclimate is unique: low temperature combined with high humidity. Such features had a beneficial effect on the body, so there were practically no contraindications. The baths contained several separate rooms: apodyterium - for a wardrobe, caldarium - a hot room, tepidarium - a cool room, frigidarium - a cold room. There were also massage rooms here. Today's scientists are amazed by the engineering thought of the ancient Romans, because the design of the baths, called the hypocaust, is unique even by modern standards. The baths were equipped with a pipe system, which was intended to transport water from a thermal spring. A special stove was used to heat the floor and water.