Roman Baths
Posted on 26th December 2020
Roman baths were not only used for bathing, they were a place where you could meet friends and socialise. Food and entertainment were also available at the baths.
All citizens were allowed to use the baths, but there were separate entrances and baths for men and women.
The Dressing Room (Apodyterium) – The first room as you enter the baths, used for changing and storing clothes.
There were three main types of bath. A roman citizen would first enter the tepidarium, move onto the caldarium, then to the frigidarium; finally, the citizen would return to the tepidarium where slaves were available to attend to them and provide oil massages and scrape the oil from the body using a curved metal tool (stigil). Sometimes there was also a laconicum adjacent to the caldarium.
Warm Bath (Tepidarium) – A warm room with a hypocaust (underfloor heating system).
Hot Bath (Caldarium) - A hot plunge bath and steam room.
Cold Bath (Frigidarium) - A cold plunge bath.
Laconicum (Dry Room) – A very hot room used for resting with a hypocaust underfloor heating system.
They could then enter,
Gymnasium (Palaestra) - Here they could exercise in such things as:
Weight Lifting
Boxing
Wrestling
Ball Games
Or partake in more leisurely games
Board Games (Chess, Checkers, Backgammon etc)
Gambling with Dice
Tagged as: Junior Ancient Rome
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