The Baths of Caracalla!

Gentle Readers,

This post was written by the illustrious Kelly Trainor and Megan Clark.

Background

In the southeastern side of Rome near the Via Appia sits the Baths of Caracalla.  Between 211 and 224 BC, Emperor Caracalla began to build the one of the largest public baths in Roman history, second only to Diocletian.  Caracalla’s official name was Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, but was nicknamed Caracalla because of the Gallic tunic he used to wear, thus making the first name of the Baths of Caracalla the Thermae Antonianae.   

Layout of the Baths

Uses

Opening in 217 AD, the baths could fit over 1,600 people at a time and accommodated up to 40,000 people per day. Other than simply bathing, the baths also acted as a place for Romans to work out, relax, socialize, play sports, and gossip.  Romans of all ages would visit the baths on a daily basis and make it a part of their usual routine.

In the baths, people followed a ritual wherein they would all follow the same routine while they were there.  First, the Romans would undress and coat themselves in olive oil in the apodyterium, or changing room.  Many Romans would bring a slave with them to the baths to keep track of their clothing and personal items for them.  Then, they would go into the palaestra, or exercise area, where they would work out. The walls in this room were adorned with mosaics of many successful athletes, which hints at the importance of Roman men appearing strong and powerful, and possibly acted as a form of motivation while they were working out.  Once they were done exercising, they would start the bathing process by going to the caldarium (hot water bath), followed by the tepidarium, (lukewarm bath), frigidarium (cold water bath), and finally end in the natatio, which was an open-air swimming pool.  The Romans usually followed this routine because it would cool them down after they were done exercising and prepare them to use strigilis to scrape off the sweat, dirt, and oil before leaving the baths.

Inside the Baths of Caracalla: Note the Height!

Differences

Compared to other public baths, such as those built in Ostia and Pompeii, the Baths of Caracalla were the first baths that appeared to allow men and women to intermingle, though this idea is controversial. There was no smaller bathing area found that would typically be meant for Roman women’s use as there was in the other two baths mentioned. One of the major aspects that make the Baths of Caracalla so unique is its symmetrical shape, as the complex is split right down the middle with the exact same rooms on either side in equal proportion. It is theorized by some that this was because one side was for women and one was for men, but it is unknown and rather unlikely that a complex this large would dedicate an entire half to be for women only, given the position of women in ancient Roman society.

Excavations

In 1545, Pope Paul III Farnese began excavation on the Baths of Caracalla.  The excavations unearthed underground passages that included storage for wood, a water mill, a heating system, and even a plumbing system.  The excavations continued through the 19th and 20th centuries, when they found the central body of the building, marble flooring in the caldarium, and a mosaic floor in the western palaestra.  Although some of the mosaics are still in the Baths of Caracalla, the mosaics of athletes that would be found in the palaestra are now on display in the Vatican Museum, which we also had the opportunity to visit.  These excavations gave light to just how extravagant the baths were to the Romans.

Mosaics of Athletes from the Walls of the Palaestra, Displayed in the Vatican Museum.

Due to the luxuriousness of the baths, numerous statues decorated the inside of the area and were uncovered during these excavations.  One of the most notable statues found is that of The Farnese Bull, also known as ThePunishment of Dirce. In this scene, the sons of Antiope are tying Dirce to a bull so that she will be trampled to death. The statue is especially interesting because of its high level of preservation, large size, and the fact that it was carved out of a single block of marble.  Although this statue was originally standing in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, it is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.  Over the course of the excavation of the baths, archaeologists found the final standing statue in 1996, which was a headless Artemis that is now displayed in the Baths of Diocletian.

The Punishment of Dirce (or, the Farnese Bull), Sculpted from a Single Block of Marble.  Note the Slender Rope!

For more on the Baths of Caracalla, click here.