Baths and the Water Supply

Question 1

How did the rich get water?

Answer 1

The richest citizens had water supplied straight to their homes.

Question 2

How did the poor get water

Answer 2

Poorer citizens had to collect water from their local public fountains. (40 of these were found in Pompeii, most funded by private benefactors)

Question 3

How did Roman citizens get water before the aqueducts?

Answer 3

They obtained their water from natural springs, wells and rivers.
Private citizens collected rainwater in a pool in the atrium.

Question 4

Why were aqueducts built?

Answer 4

Aqueducts were built to provide running water from their source in the hills around Italy to major settlements.

Question 5

What are aqueducts?

Answer 5

An artificial channel conveying water. Built on an ever decreasing slope away from the source (taking advantage of gravity).

Question 6

How was the water of the aqueducts directed?

Answer 6

Water was directed into the main water storage facility, castellum aquae (at the highest point of town) and then directed into further water towers through the city.
Water was fed from these towers through lead pipes to fountains, baths, latrines, private houses. Water flowed continually, overflow of public fountains cleaned the streets.

Question 7

What is the order that Romans followed when using the baths.

Answer 7

1. Apodyterium
2. Frigidarium
3. Tepidarium
4. Caldarium
5. Sudatorium
6. Heliocaminus

Question 8

What was the heating system in the Ostia baths?

Answer 8

• Consisted of a furnace below the floor.
• Pila under the floor, brick piles creates circulation and holds up the floor.
• Flute tiles between inner and outer wall.

Question 9

Key information about Ostia forum baths

Answer 9

• Built in the third quarter of the 2nd century AD by M. Gavius Maximus
• Orignally the walls had marble revetments to a height of approx 3metres with plaster above
• Floors were decorated with black and white mosaics depicting Nilotic and oceanic scenes with hippocampi, tritons and dolphins.

Question 10

Key information about the Pompeii Stabian Baths

Answer 10

• Oldest public baths in Pompeii situated on the intersection Via Stabiana (cardo maximus) and Via dell’ Abondanza (decumanus maximus).
• Palaestra and a few joining rooms date to 4th Century BC but the general layout of the baths date to early 1st Century BC.
• The baths have undergone several enhancements.
• Seperate men’s and women’s baths until aqueducts system water was sourced from a deep well in site.
• Calcius Julius and Pblis Annines names were on the baths as they renovated them.

Question 11

What were the features of the Pompeii Stabian Baths

Answer 11

• Apodyterium
• Frigidarium
• Tepidarium
• Caldarium
• Palaestra
• Natatio
• ‘Hip-baths’

Question 12

What is an Apodyterium

Answer 12

A changing room in the baths, slaves watched the patrons clothes.

Question 13

What is a Frigidarium?

Answer 13

A cold room which was used either at the start or the end of the baths.

Question 14

What is a Tepidarium?

Answer 14

A warm room. It had no seats around the sides, patrons would spend a short time here.

Question 15

What is a Caldarium?

Answer 15

A hot room with three large basins where people could spend a large period of time. Hairpins suggest women used them aswell.

Question 16

What is a Sudatonium?

Answer 16

A sweating room used to open up pores. Marble seats were around the room to rest.

Question 17

What is a palaestra?

Answer 17

An outdoor exercise area of a bath house. Games are played and there was weightlifting activities.

Question 18

What is a Helliocamus?

Answer 18

A sun room with little heating and large windows. Used for sunbathing.

Question 19

Did the women have a fridgidarium?

Answer 19

No but the women’s baths had no separate frigidarium, but a large basin for cold baths was built at the west end of the dressing room to compensate.

Question 20

What was the heating system used for the Pompeii baths?

Answer 20

A hypocaust heating system. Both the male and female caldaria contains labrum (a ground basin) and an alveus (a small warm rectangular pool).

Question 21

What was the heating system features in Ostia baths?

Answer 21

Flue tiles
Hypocaust
Pila

Question 22

Key information about the Baths of Caracalla

Answer 22

Built in 211-216 AD by Emperor Caracalla (but likely initiated by his father) as a statement of imperial power and to cement his position with the people of Rome

(covered 100,000 sq metres); the main hall was cross vaulted in three places with huge piers

Took more than 9,000 workmen over 5 years to complete

Construction of the Aqua Antoniniana to supply these
baths with water, to be stored in 8.2 million litre capacity
water cisterns

Baths themselves were made of marble, basalt and
alabaster

Interior decoration uses Egyptian and Turkish granite
columns, marble faced the walls and floors.

Question 23

What is a natatio

Answer 23

A swimming pool

Question 24

What else other than bathing was the Baths of Caracalla used for?

Answer 24

The complex also offered facilities for taking walks, reading/studying, exercise and body care. The main building had no connections to the surrounding walls, there was cisterns, two symmetrical libraries, shops and two large exedras