Baths

=Cities of Vesuvius =

- Syllabus Content -


 * Baths**

Few people had private bathing facilities.

A number of public baths have been discovered in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

A visit to the baths was a social occasion. See p134-5 for sources relating to activities within the baths.


 * Pompeii**:
 * **Stabian** Baths (oldest)
 * **Forum** Baths
 * **Central** Baths (under construction at the time of the eruption)
 * **Sarno** Baths
 * **Suburban** Baths (Just outside Porta Marina)
 * Baths of **Marcus Crassus Frugi** – known from an inscription – these have not been located.

Herculaneum:
 * **Forum** Baths
 * **Suburban** Baths

Features of a bathing complex:
 * Different sections for men and women or different bathing hours for each gender.
 * Vaulted ceilings, walls and ceilings decorated in stucco, floors in mosaics.
 * Various rooms:
 * Apodyterium – changing and waiting room with niches
 * Frigidarium – circular cold bath
 * Tepidarium – warm room for transition from hot to cold and vice versa – laconium sometimes off the tepidarium
 * Caldarium – hot room, rectangular heated bath (alverus – could hold ten people, marble) and large circular basin (labrum) for cold water. Heating was provided by a hypocaust system.
 * An exercise area.
 * Stabian and Forum Baths in Pompeii and Forum Baths in Herculaneum had public toilets
 * Heating system - furnaces provide heat, heated air is sent through a hypocaust system to the caldarium and sometimes the tepidarium


 * Pompeii – Forum Baths**

Note: the plan on page 132 is of the Forum Baths in **Pompeii NOT Herculaneum**.


 * Links**: [|Soprintendenza di Pompeii]; images at [|Pompeiiinpictures]; the [|Pompeii Forum Project] has a plan and set of videos


 * Built around 80 BC by Lucius Caesius (duovir) and Caius Occius and Lucius Niraemius (aediles) according to two inscriptions
 * Uncovered in 1824
 * Only baths in operation at the time of the eruption in AD 79 as they had been repaired quickly after the earthquake of AD 62
 * Separated into men and women’s section; the men’s section was much larger and more ornately decorated
 * Palaestra in men’s section
 * Three entrances to the men’s section: Via delle Terme, Via del Foro, Vicolo delle Terme


 * Features**


 * Apodyterium**:
 * Had vaulted ceiling with stucco decorations, little of which remains
 * Walls didn’t contain recesses, so clothes were probably stored in a pile on the benches
 * Pavement of white mosaic with black band around edges


 * Frigidarium**:
 * Round room with dome skylight
 * Walls decorated with stucco friezes and pictorial representations of gardens and cupids


 * Tepidarium**:
 * Attractive room, ornamented with stucco panels along the ceiling of mythological scenes such as Eros with his bow, Apollo riding a griffin and Ganymede carried off by the eagle
 * Series of recesses along the walls, framed by terracotta Atlases, with entwining plant motifs also decorating walls
 * Large bronze brazier in the centre, that heated the entire room, decorated with insignia of donor Marcus Nigidius Vaccula who also donated three bronze seats, decorated with cow heads


 * [[image:1545_pompei_forum_baths.jpg width="424" height="640" align="right"]]Caldarium**:
 * Constructed so warm air could circulate to heat the entire room
 * Stucco roof
 * End wall features labrum in the centre
 * Labrum was provided in 3 - 4 AD
 * Alverus on opposite side


 * Palaestra**


 * [[image:forum_baths_herculaneum_small.jpg align="right"]]Herculaneum – Forum Baths**

A Apodyterium B Frigidarium C Tepidarium D Caldarium
 * Men’s Section**

E Waiting room F Apodyterium G Tepidarium H Caldarium
 * Women’s Section**

Note: the plan on page 132 is of the Forum Baths in **Pompeii NOT Herculaneum**.


 * Built around 10 BC
 * Women’s section was smallest and least decorated, but has best preserved structure
 * Palaestra in men’s section
 * Figures of fish decorated vaulted ceiling of frigidarium

The floor is decorated with a mosaic of Triton and sea creatures.
 * Women's section - apodyterium**


 * Women's section - tepidarium**


 * Women's section - caldarium**


 * Men's section - entrance and palaestra**


 * Men's section - apodyterium**


 * Men's section - frigidarium**

Floor mosaic of "galloping triton" - hypocaust can be seen at the base of the walls.
 * Men's section - tepidarium**


 * Men's section - caldarium**

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