Every city in Rome had an open bath where people do come to have fun and bathe. The open baths served as a community place where people do meet each other, work out and relax.
The main reason why baths were established was to provide a means for citizens to easily cleanse themselves. Many Romans who lived in the city always try to visit the daily in order to clean up themselves.
They do cleanse themselves by simply applying oil to their skin and scraping it away thereafter, using a scraper made of metal and it is popularly known as the Strigil. People do set dates and also have meals at the baths while some come to discuss about their businesses or talk about politics.
As we all know “nothing good comes easy”, a fee is usually paid in order to gain access to the baths. Generally, the fee was usually small and affordable, and in some occasions, baths would be open for free as an emperor or politician would cover all cost.
FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT ROMAN BATHS
- Typical Roman baths are usually large containing several roms. They include:
- The apodyterium: This is a room where everyone do change their clothes before going into where they would take their bathe.
- The calcidarium:This room had a very hot bath and it is usually steamy and hot.
- The frigidarium: The bath in this room was usually cold and bathers do prefer to go into this room to relax after a very hot day.
- The palaestra: This was known to be a gymnasium where bathers do exercise their bodies. The activities in this gymnasium include weight lifting, discuss throwing, and ball activities.
Some baths were very large and they all possessed lots of cold and hot baths. Libraries were also present, foods were sold, and they also had gardens used for relaxation.
- Aristocrats and public figures sometimes do own a private bath in their homes. These baths may be quite costly as fees were paid to the government for water charges and use. Regardless of how the Rich owned a bath, they were often seen visiting the public baths so as to mingle and have fun.
- Aqueducts were built by the Romans to serve the purpose of carrying fresh water from water bodies like rivers and lakes into the cities. Usually, the Romans constructors do check the water levels and aqueducts frequently so as to be sure that enough water was transported to the city and the baths. Underground pipes and channels were done, and they also created active sewage systems which made the rich Romans have water running in their homes.
- Men and Women are not allowed to have their bathe at the same time and they also had their bathe at different places in the baths.
- The most recognised and popularly known Roman baths was located in Bath, England. The baths was considered to have healing powers and was constructed on hot springs.
- The Romans highly regarded the art of bathing as a means of socializing in public baths. These baths were present even in temples, and a perfect example is the Imperial Fora.Business deals were done, there were courtship events, and luxurious baths were constructed above natural hot springs. These baths were of great importance to the Romans and this led to documentation of 952 baths present in several buildings in Rome as at 354 AD and they were said to have varying sizes.
- The baths had heated floors and this was done by a Roman system known as hypocaust which transported hot air throughout the floors.
- So many items do go missing in the baths which was as a result of the actions of thieves and pickpockets.
- Bigger citie owned several communal baths for the public.
- The largest bath in Rome was The Baths Of Discletian, Established in 306AD, it had a maximum capacity of 3000 people and the total area of land it covers was estimated to be more than 30 acres.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON FACTS ABOUT THE ANCIENT ROMAN BATHS
- Question: What is the name of the object used to scrape oil off the skin after cleansing?
Answer: The name of the object is called the strigil. - Question: What is the name of the largest baths in Rome, what is its maximum capacity, and how many acres of land does it cover?
Answer: The Largest baths in rome was the Baths of Diocletian, it has a maximum capacity of 3000 people and it covers 30 acres of land. - Question: What did the ancient Romans use to transport water from water bodies into the city?
Answer: The Romans used aqueducts to transport water from water bodies into the city. - Question: How many baths were recorded to be present in several buildings in Rome as at 354 AD?
Answer: They recorded a total of 952 baths in Rome as at 354 AD - Question: The room where everyone changed their clothings before accessing the rooms in the baths is called?
Answer: Apodyterium.
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