The Baths
There are three public baths that can be found at Pompeii. These are the Forum baths, the Stabian baths and the central baths. The central baths were still being built at the time of the eruption. The Stabian baths were the largest of these baths, but they were damaged badly during the 62 AD earthquake; only the women’s quarters were being used at the time of the eruption.
The Stabian baths were two blocks away from insula 6. Most of the people living in insula 6 would, as a result, have their daily bath there. The men took the main entrance in, which was on the south side under a gabled roof. There was also a second entrance for men on the west side. This specific entrance led to an open exercise area called the palaestra. There was a changing room to the left of this, called the apodyterium. After undressing, the men had a choice of either exercising or swimming. If they exercised, they could play several games. The most popular game was a type of bowling, which was played along the paved alley. There were also outdoor exercises such as ball games, weights, or rolling a hoop. The props for these games were kept at the far end of the room. Next to this space was the office of the baths manager. Water exercise was also possible, as the pool was only about 1.2m deep. Mainly men were encouraged to be able to swim, but usually in the sea or a river. Near this was the north block of the baths. This is where the public toilets were located. Above this was a water tank, which used to be filled by a treadmill operating two water wheels, drawing water from a well. Later the water was supplied by the aqueduct, but this shows the ancient Roman’s engineering skills.
When the men who had started off with exercising had worked up a sweat, they retreated to the changing rooms and there they were scraped down and massaged. Then, if they wished, they could take a swim through a shallow bath to clean their feet before going into the swimming pool. After this they were able to visit the heated baths. This shows that the ancient Romans liked to be clean, and that exercise was an important part of their daily life, and that they thought cleanliness and bathing was good for their health.
The women’s baths were only able to be reached by two corridors, coming from the west and east side. Women who lived in insula 6 would have had to enter through the east entrance. These two corridors, however, only led to the changing rooms, and from then on you would have to navigate your way around the baths. To start with, the women’s baths were isolated from the mens. Later on however, a corridor was put in, which provided access to the palaestra. This corridor may have been the women’s exercise area, or it could have been a service entrance which was locked during working hours. The men’s baths were ruined after the earthquake, but the women’s baths remained intact and in good condition. When it was excavated, the changing room still had its roof. The tiles on the wall also survived, and this tells us about the type of decoration and art that was popular during ancient Roman times. They were richly decorated, and the baths were often made out of marble or mosaics. The hot bath was located at the end of the women’s hot room. The Romans engineering skills and cleverness was again shown in the way they heated these baths. At the right end of the bath, there was a semi-circular opening. Inside, a container sat immediately above the channel leading from the furnace. As the water in the bath cooled, it sunk and ended up in the container, where it repeats and rises again. This creates a permanent system of water heating. The bath itself held around eight people. You could bathe by yourself in individual bronze tubs, or bathe with others.
The baths were quite a luxurious part of life, and although they were open to everyone, only the wealthy or higher class tended to visit them daily. These baths have been significant in understanding daily life in ancient Rome as they show the social structure of those who visited there. Men were clearly higher up than women, as their baths had more spaces and areas of importance than the women's. Many slaves worked there, and they carried the exercise and bathing equipment for the residents, such as bathing garments, sandals, toilet gear and linen towels. Their toiletries were secured in a metal box, which held oils and perfumes, a sponge and metal blades called strigils which were used for scrapping excess oil off the body. The women wore bikinis and the men wore tunics, kilts or linen wraps. Although nowadays bathing is usually a private activity, from the remains of the Pompeian baths it is clear that they were one of the most important leisure activities for ancient Romans. Their baths would resemble a modern spa or health club today, although the ancient baths were a lot less costly, only costing a small amount of money; however women's fees were twice as high as men's. The baths would mainly be used after 2:00pm, when work was finished. Most men went to the baths and stayed for many hours, spending their time exercising, talking and of course, bathing. After that, they would be tired and ready to go home and eat dinner. This shows how bathing was an important aspect of daily life for the ancient Romans, as it took up a good portion of time from their day to day lives.
SOURCES:
Pompeii, Electa Napoli, Italy, Minister per i Beni, 2002, 60, 120
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/baths.html
The Stabian baths were two blocks away from insula 6. Most of the people living in insula 6 would, as a result, have their daily bath there. The men took the main entrance in, which was on the south side under a gabled roof. There was also a second entrance for men on the west side. This specific entrance led to an open exercise area called the palaestra. There was a changing room to the left of this, called the apodyterium. After undressing, the men had a choice of either exercising or swimming. If they exercised, they could play several games. The most popular game was a type of bowling, which was played along the paved alley. There were also outdoor exercises such as ball games, weights, or rolling a hoop. The props for these games were kept at the far end of the room. Next to this space was the office of the baths manager. Water exercise was also possible, as the pool was only about 1.2m deep. Mainly men were encouraged to be able to swim, but usually in the sea or a river. Near this was the north block of the baths. This is where the public toilets were located. Above this was a water tank, which used to be filled by a treadmill operating two water wheels, drawing water from a well. Later the water was supplied by the aqueduct, but this shows the ancient Roman’s engineering skills.
When the men who had started off with exercising had worked up a sweat, they retreated to the changing rooms and there they were scraped down and massaged. Then, if they wished, they could take a swim through a shallow bath to clean their feet before going into the swimming pool. After this they were able to visit the heated baths. This shows that the ancient Romans liked to be clean, and that exercise was an important part of their daily life, and that they thought cleanliness and bathing was good for their health.
The women’s baths were only able to be reached by two corridors, coming from the west and east side. Women who lived in insula 6 would have had to enter through the east entrance. These two corridors, however, only led to the changing rooms, and from then on you would have to navigate your way around the baths. To start with, the women’s baths were isolated from the mens. Later on however, a corridor was put in, which provided access to the palaestra. This corridor may have been the women’s exercise area, or it could have been a service entrance which was locked during working hours. The men’s baths were ruined after the earthquake, but the women’s baths remained intact and in good condition. When it was excavated, the changing room still had its roof. The tiles on the wall also survived, and this tells us about the type of decoration and art that was popular during ancient Roman times. They were richly decorated, and the baths were often made out of marble or mosaics. The hot bath was located at the end of the women’s hot room. The Romans engineering skills and cleverness was again shown in the way they heated these baths. At the right end of the bath, there was a semi-circular opening. Inside, a container sat immediately above the channel leading from the furnace. As the water in the bath cooled, it sunk and ended up in the container, where it repeats and rises again. This creates a permanent system of water heating. The bath itself held around eight people. You could bathe by yourself in individual bronze tubs, or bathe with others.
The baths were quite a luxurious part of life, and although they were open to everyone, only the wealthy or higher class tended to visit them daily. These baths have been significant in understanding daily life in ancient Rome as they show the social structure of those who visited there. Men were clearly higher up than women, as their baths had more spaces and areas of importance than the women's. Many slaves worked there, and they carried the exercise and bathing equipment for the residents, such as bathing garments, sandals, toilet gear and linen towels. Their toiletries were secured in a metal box, which held oils and perfumes, a sponge and metal blades called strigils which were used for scrapping excess oil off the body. The women wore bikinis and the men wore tunics, kilts or linen wraps. Although nowadays bathing is usually a private activity, from the remains of the Pompeian baths it is clear that they were one of the most important leisure activities for ancient Romans. Their baths would resemble a modern spa or health club today, although the ancient baths were a lot less costly, only costing a small amount of money; however women's fees were twice as high as men's. The baths would mainly be used after 2:00pm, when work was finished. Most men went to the baths and stayed for many hours, spending their time exercising, talking and of course, bathing. After that, they would be tired and ready to go home and eat dinner. This shows how bathing was an important aspect of daily life for the ancient Romans, as it took up a good portion of time from their day to day lives.
SOURCES:
Pompeii, Electa Napoli, Italy, Minister per i Beni, 2002, 60, 120
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/baths.html