The Roman Baths

The Roman Baths

They visit as they do not have their own baths
What they could do
1. exercise
2. socialise
3. clean
4. eat
Rooms
1. 1) Entrance
  1. Pay small admission fee to doorkeeper
2. 2) Palaestra
  1. exercise area
  2. open, surrounded by colonade
  3. What they do in this room
    1. greet friends
    2. exercise
      1. throwing a large ball
      2. wrestling
      3. fencing with wooden swords
  4. Not serious exercise, just preparation for the relaxation.
3. 3) Apodyterium
  1. long passage to a large hall
  2. changing room
    1. undress and give clothes to slave attendant
    2. clothes guarded in recesses arranged in rows along the walls
4. 4) Tepidarium
  1. arched doorway to warm room
  2. Short time sat on benches around the wall
    1. steamy atmosphere, gently perspiring
5. 5) Caldarium
  1. hot room
  2. large rectangular marble bath
    1. filled with hot water
  3. no soap, so olive oil used
  4. after a soak, slave called to rub with oil
    1. removed using a strigil (blunt metal scraper)
      1. followed by a massage
  5. Finally he goes to a large stone basin and rinses with cold water
6. 6) Frigidarium
  1. Before dressing a visit to the cold room was appropriate
  2. take a plunge in a deep circular pool of unheated water
  3. Brisk rub down with a towel
Heating
1. Before they heated water in a furnace and stood braziers in the tepidarium and calderium to keep up air temperature.
  1. not efficient
  2. no floor heating
2. 1st Century BC
  1. Furnace below floor level supported by brick columns
    1. left space for air circulation
    2. hot bath near furnace to keep temperature
    3. fueled by wood
  2. Flues (channels) built into walls to draw through hot air
    1. hypocaust
      1. also used by rich

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	Created by mhancoc3 about 10 years ago