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Baths of Pompeii
Associated to Place: AncientWorlds > Rome > Italia > Pompeii > Central West Regio > articles -- by * Senex Caecilius (18 Articles), Historical Article
There are three main public baths in Pompeii: the Stabian baths, the Forum baths, and the Central baths.
Baths of Pompeii
 


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Baths of Pompeii

There are three main public baths in Pompeii: the Stabian baths, the Forum baths, and the Central baths.

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The oldest of the thermae in Pompeii is the Stabian baths, and four different building stages can be identified. The bath is located at the Holconius intersection, which is where the decumanus maximus (Via dell'Abbondanza) crosses the cardo maximus (Via Stabiana). During the earliest stage, which dates to the late 4th century BC, a trapezoidal exercise field (palaestra) and colonnade were constructed, and a series of cells with tubs was built along the north side. The general layout of the bath dates to the 2nd century BC, when the palaestra was reconfigured and additional features were added. After the earthquake of AD 62, dressing rooms (apodyteria) were included. The bath was divided into two opposing, separate sections, one for men and one for women.

The Forum Baths are the smallest, but the most elegant of the thermae. They were built shortly after after the establishment of Sullla's colony in 80 BC. An inscription credits the duovir Lucius Caesius and the aediles Caius Occius and Lucius Niraemius. Despite their small size, they contained everything necessary for the full bathing ritual: dressing rooms, hot, tepid and cold rooms, exercise field, and toilets. These baths were also divided into separate facilities for men and women. They were the only baths still functioning in Pompeii after the earthquake of AD 62.

The Central Baths are the most recent version of thermae in Pompeii. When the social-economic axis of Pompeii moved towards the intersection of the Via Stabiana and Via di Nola, a new bath complex was designed, and it replaced an entire block (insula) of the town. The baths were constructed after the earthquake of AD 62, but were never completed before the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. It is notable that separate sections for men and women were not provided, nor did it have a frigidarium, but it did have a laconicum instead.

  • An article about thermal baths provides definitions of the typical features of a bath and descriptions of the three main thermae in Pompeii.
  • An article from Liverpool College on Roman baths includes a brief history, descriptions, and illustrations of the three main public baths in Pompeii.
  • A photograph located at a BBC site shows the caldarium in the men's section of the Forum baths and provides details of its features.
  • A floor plan of the Stabian baths provides labels for the various parts of both men's and women's sections. Note that the women's section is lacking a frigidarium, and not a calderium as erroneously stated.
  • An article by Barbara McManus describes Roman baths and their features in general and provides models and mosaics to illustrate it.

    photos courtesy VRoma

    Some of the preceding information comes from The Golden Book of Pompeii, written by Stefano Giuntoli and published in 1994 by Casa Editrice Bonechi (Florence, Italy).

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    Posted Aug 30, 2006 - 11:00 , Last Edited: Sep 13, 2006 - 16:14











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