Pompeii and
Herculaneum Baths
“Bathing for
Romans was a
social occasion.
The baths were
places everybody
went almost every
day. Some baths
were communal
some were private
enterprises, some
were expensive and
some were cheap”.
Quoted by Joseph
Jay Diess
By Tyler Phelan
and
Gemma Franklin
The baths in Pompeii
The importance of the baths can be gauged from their number- three for
the city of Pompeii alone- and from their location in the busiest and
most accessible areas of the city.
The stabian baths at the Holconius crossroads, the forum baths at the
junction of the via del foro and the via di nola, and the central baths at
the crossing of the decumanus maxim us and the cardo maximus.
These three establishments allow us to follow the development of bath
architecture.
The forum baths were constructed, right up to the time of the eruption,
when the central baths were still unfinished. The central block in all
cases comprised the hot bath (caldarium), the warm steam room
(tepidarium) and the cold bath (frigidarium), arranged along a single
east – west axis. It opened onto the palaestra courtyard, which had a
portico running around three sides, the fourth had being taken up an
ornamental pool and the service quarters
In the stabian baths, the inclusion of women’s bath, separated from that
of men, meant that a sundial had to be used to regulate the opening
times for women and men. The separation of men and women can be
found at the forum baths. The frigidarium was a circular, vaulted room,
the entrance hall and undressing room, or apodyterium, were also
vaulted, their ceilings covered with octagonal and circular panels
decorated with stucco.
A large staff were responsible for seeing to customers needs. Some
helped the disabled to climb the steps of baths or to lower themselves
into the cold pool, others helped to shower those who were not
allowed to bathe, after the bath it was the turn of hair removers,
perfumers and masseurs ( who were mainly blacks), these moments of
relaxation were all part of the central baths, more and more
Pompeian’s could devote themselves to bathing. In the bathing
establishment of M.Crassus frugi, there were even salt- water baths,
though these were reserved for a privileged clientele.
Activities that take
place in the baths
Visitors could practice physical exercise, play sport, indulge in a range in
therapies (massages), stroll in gardens, listen to music, read in the
library, conduct business and receive invitations.
From the pornographic graffiti on the walls we are lead to believe that the
back rooms of the baths could have been used to conduct sexual
based activities. However there is a debate about this and weather it is
just pointless pictures on a wall.
Also in the baths people would be rubbed down with oils and nice
smelling perfumes before they entered the hot baths there they would
bath and get clean.
Heating systems of the
baths
The heating systems of the baths was provided by a charcoal burning
furnace located at the back of the caldarium, between the men’s and
woman’s sections. There were three boilers which held the water. Hot
air circulated through the interstices under the marble floor which was
raised about 70-90 cm on brick pillars, and through air ducts built
behind the walls
To prevent the bathers suffering the nuisance of cold condensation
dropping onto them, the ceiling had grooves in the plaster which
collected and channelled the condensation down the walls.
Stabian Baths in Pompeii
Baths in Pompeii
What the numbers indicate on
the previous picture
A. Entrance to smaller baths
B-C. Entrances to furnaces
D. North entrance to bathing apartments
E. East entrance to bathing apartments
F. Main entrance to bathing apartments
1. Latrina
2. Portico
a. Seats
3. Atrium
b. Seats
4. Guardroom or exedra?
5. Corridor
6. Latrina
7. Passage
8. Frigidarium and apodytarium
(dressing room)
9. Corridor
10. Natatio (cold bath)
11. Room
12. Tepidarium (warming room)
13. Concamerata sudata (thermal
chamber) with balneum (warm bath) to the
left and Laconicum (dry heat)
14. Passage
e. Mouth of furnace
f. Furnace and boilers
15. Chamber for praefurnium
16. Corridor
17. Atrium
18. Vestibule
19. Apodyterium
20. Natatio
21. Tepidarium
22. Concamerata sudata
Suburban Baths in
Herculaneum
In Herculaneum there are two major public baths excavated so far: The
Central baths and the suburban baths. There are quite a few rooms in
the Suburban Baths men's and women's separate dressing areas, the
women's bath and the men's bath; a hot water area and a cooler water
area. Herculaneum was a very wealthy community and as such its
baths had state of the art plumbing, albeit using lead pipes. But water
flowed in and out keeping the bath clean.
Julia Felix’s Private
Bath
Julia Felix was a Roman woman who resided in the city of Pompeii. From her
Roman cognomina it can be seen that her family were most likely freedmen.
Julia Felix was a very wealthy property owner who inherited her money from
her family. She owned a grand villa that took up an entire block in the city of
Pompeii and it is documented by researchers as being well furnished and
decorated until it was ruined in a terrible earthquake of 62 A.D. that caused
much damage. After the earthquake, she came up with a brilliant idea.
Instead of trying to pay for all the damages herself, she rented out her
property to residents of Pompeii who may have lost their homes and
transformed parts of her villa into public Roman baths, shops, taverns, and
apartments. To promote the Roman baths, a complete listing of facilities
and a boastful advertising statement about quality was included, and in the
.
villa of Julia Felix it was described as “good enough for Venus” Renting
out her villa helped her earn extra income and establish herself as a
property owner, business woman, and public figure in Pompeii.
Picture of Pompeii Baths
Pictures of Herculaneum
Baths