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Author Topic: Ancient Roman Baths Unearthed  (Read 134 times)
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Bart
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« on: July 23, 2007, 05:19:10 PM »

Ancient Roman Baths Unearthed

Marta Falconi, Associated Press - July 20, 2007

� A large 2nd-century bath complex believed to be part of a wealthy Roman's luxurious residence has been partially dug up, archaeologists said Thursday.

Ancient Spa

   The exceptionally well-preserved two-story complex, which extends for at least five acres, includes ornate hot rooms, vaults, changing rooms, marble latrines and an underground room where slaves lit the fire to warm the baths.

   Statues and water cascades decorated the interiors, American archaeologist Darius A. Arya, the excavation's head, said during a tour offered to The Associated Press on Thursday. Only pedestals and fragments have been recovered.

   Arya spoke as students and experts were brushing off dirt and dust from ancient marbles, mosaic floors and a rudimentary heating system, made of pipes that channeled hot air throughout the complex.

   "The Romans had more leisure time than other people, and it's here in the baths that they typically spent their time," Arya said. "Because you could eat well, you could get a massage, you could have sex, you could gossip, you could play your games, you could talk about politics � you could spend the whole day here."

   However, he added, "to have a bath complex of this size, this scale, it's very unusual."

   The complex was believed to be part of a multi-story villa that belonged to the Roman-era equivalent of a billionaire, a man called Quintus Servilius Pudens who was a friend of Emperor Hadrian, Arya said. It was unclear whether the baths were open to the public or reserved for the owner's distinguished guests.

   "These people lived a magnificent existence and were able to provide entertainment" to others, said Arya, also a professor at the American Institute for Roman Culture.

   Excavations at the Villa delle Vignacce park lasted a total of 10 weeks and will continue, he said. It has not yet been decided whether it will be open to the public.

Digging deeper

   Ancient Romans put a great deal of emphasis on bathing, turning the art of the soak into a ritual. Meeting at communal bath houses, they went through a series of rooms of alternating temperatures at a leisurely pace, dipping themselves in hot and cold baths. Bathing was a social event as well as a way to purify the body and relax.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/07/20/romanbath_arc_02.html?category=archaeology&guid=20070720091530

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« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2007, 11:46:09 PM »

Dig reveals "billionaire's" Roman villa with baths

Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:29PM EDT

By Robin Pomeroy

ROME (Reuters Life!) - Archaeologists have uncovered a tycoon's mansion outside central Rome with its very own bath complex -- the ancient Roman equivalent of owning a fleet of Ferraris or a private jet as a way of showing off wealth.



"This is a very impressive, very well preserved bath complex that belonged to a certain Quintus Servilius Pudens who was a billionaire friend of Emperor Hadrian," said Darius Arya, an American archaeologist who is leading the dig.

The site of the Villa delle Vignacce, towards Ciampino airport south of Rome, was first explored by archaeologists in 1780 who found statues that are now in the Vatican museum.

But it is only now that the area, in the middle of a suburban park, has been properly excavated, revealing not only the predictable walls, floors and doorways of the multi-storey villa but also the surprise find of lavish baths.

"It's very impressive to have discovered something this well preserved in this day and age," said Arya, pointing out the marble floor of the villa's 'caldarium', the sauna-like room which was heated by hot air piped behind the walls from a furnace stoked by the landlord's slaves.

The room also contains a hot bath, although the bronze cauldron used to bring bathing water to piping hot was long ago ripped out by scavengers.

The villa shows many signs of similar damage -- including fragments of marble left behind after the walls were stripped of the valuable stone when the villa fell into disrepair. It was probably last used in the 6th century AD, converted into a fortress by the Goths who sacked Rome.

Near the caldarium is the latrine, a communal lavatory where a dozen guests could perform their intimate bodily functions while enjoying company and conversation.

Servilius, believed to have made his fortune making brick -- one of the main materials for Roman buildings -- would have used the baths to throw lavish parties to impress his friends, said Arya, head of the American Institute for Roman Culture.

"He wants to have lots of parties, he wants to show off his wealth and his sophistication."

Not everyone was invited. In the deepest part of the dig, underground passage-ways show where the villa's slaves would work, unseen by the upper classes enjoying their leisure on the mosaic-lined floors above.


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