No Roman town would be complete without a bathing complex. Pompeii featured a marvelous facility. The exterior of the structure wasn’t much to see in its current condition:
But going inside, one is very impressed. The photo below shows the sort of locker room with niches where bathers places their belongings:
Here’s a look at what was a sauna. The break in the wall shows the hollow space where hot air flowed to warm the room:
And here’s a look at an indoor pool, complete with skylight:
And another bathing area:
Of course there was quite a bit of decoration as can be seen from the ceiling show in the next image:
The Romans thought of everything for this facility. It must have been a pleasant place to get clean, relax, and have a chat with your fellow resident. Surely it was the precursor to today’s modern spas.
There’s an attempt in the panting above to show perspective. Moving closer, here’s some detail from the center:
For all those bright colors, take a look at a space adorned in darker hues:
There were many more rooms like this to show. Sadly, space here does not permit sharing them. I may do a photo essay in a few months with just random images from Pompeii. More to come from this fantastic archaeological site.
Quite the statement there in the foyer. And check out the arrangement of the next house with more mosaic flooring and a shrine toward the rear:
In the next post, we’ll look closer at the wall paintings. Check back soon!
Note those paved streets, curbs, and sidewalks. Not much different than a modern town. The next posts, will take a closer look at the buildings in town, including houses, the baths, and shops.
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