If we say that the ancient Romans were very fond of bathing then it would not be a great hyperbole. At its peak time, around 100 AD, there was over 30 public baths in the city of Rome and a host of private establishments. The city of Rome was extremely well watered, with about eleven great aqueducts delivering a huge quantity of water into the city – it is estimated that about 1000 liters of water per day per person were supplied to the city (about four times as much water as a modern American use). Water-borne sewerage, in a large network of sewerages was laid below the streets, which maintained the city clean and healthy. A large quantity of this abundant water was apportioned to the “thermae” or public bathing facilities.
A Roman public bath, in royal times, was very amazing facility, in many respects a combination of a sports centre or gym and a country club – although the larger ones would have overshadowed most similar contemporary facilities. In addition to commodious halls for the swimming pools, there were suites of rooms, bearing all the facilities like that of modern Turkish Baths (steam) and Scandinavian style Saunas (dry heat), Jacuzzis (warm pools), ice-cold plunge pools as well as exercise halls, massage rooms, toilet facilities, lounges and even public libraries. Large gardens surrounded the main structures and there were exercise yards for athletically inclined people.
The reputable public baths in Rome and in several of the other important cities were endowed personally by the ruling emperor and were a way of emphasizing his importance, status and power. A great quantity of the water from the aqueducts was set aside for the baths and one aqueduct – the Aquis Alexandretta was made specifically for this intention. What is interesting is that the facilities were not bounded for the use of the upper class people and were open to all citizens of the empire, although there might have been a very minimal admission fee of a couple of copper coins. Public decorousness was maintained and there were separate shifts at the public baths for the bathing of male and female.
In order to beautify the large halls, with their acres of concrete paving and several enclosed suites of hot and cold rooms, the option was always mosaics. Creative persons were employed to create artistic works on a large scale and on a diversity of themes – though water-related themes, like playing dolphins, representations of waves and the depictions of water gods such as Neptune prevailed. Using mosaic motifs for floor and wall covering was both ornamental and practical, for it not only brought to the sense of luxury and elegance, but it also waterproofed and protected the base concrete and made the surfaces comfortable to keep clean. A significant consideration was that the utilization of bright white marble or other light colored tesserae (mosaic blocks) for wider areas of backdrop in the artwork ensured that the reflection of sunlight were used to brighten up the rooms.
As an example of imperial magnificence, the Baths of Caracalla at Rome remain the most amazing. They were built on a large scale and, even in their destroyed state; one may get a feel of the luxuriousness and grandness that they once represented. The Italian dictator Mussolini accredited this and since his time the great halls have been used as a most impressive backdrop for seasonal nighttime operatic productions.
