BATHS OF CARACALLA

Description

Essentials about the Baths of Caracalla in brief

The Baths of Caracalla are one of the most impressive testimonies of Roman-ancient architecture. After the Baths of Diocletian, they are the second largest, but the best preserved ancient baths in Rome and probably in the entire world. It is estimated that at that time over 2,000 guests frequented the baths daily.

The history of the Baths of Caracalla

The construction of the Baths of Caracalla was probably begun in 206 under Septimius Severus, Caracalla’s father, and completed in 216 under Emperor Caracalla. The complex was probably not finally completed until 235, since many decorations and the enclosure were not finished until Caracalla’s successors. Since the bath complex was located on the outskirts of Rome in a rather poor area, it can be assumed that it was built to increase the popularity of the emperors among the common people by providing a public and admission-free bathing palace.

A fire occurred during the reign of Emperor Aurelian, but subsequently the baths were renovated. Later emperors had the baths further expanded. Literary sources prove that the Baths of Caracalla were still in use in the 5th century, when the Ostrogoths already ruled Rome. However, in the 6th century began the centuries-long history of robbery and destruction of the Baths of Caracalla. In 537 the Goths destroyed the aqueduct, which put an end to the baths’ operation.

In 847 there was further destruction by an earthquake and in the following centuries rain, heat and frost affected the walls and interiors of the baths. Finally, from the 12th century onwards, the baths were used as a quarry for construction work in Rome. In the 16th century, the Farnese family, in particular Pope Paul III Farnese, had much of the marble furnishings and sculptures removed to decorate Palazzo Farnese and St. Peter’s Basilica.

The complex of the Baths of Caracalla

Despite their centuries of destruction and robbery, the Baths of Caracalla are still a very impressive complex today. Decisive for this are the enormous dimensions of the baths. They measured about 340 by 330 meters. Since the terrain on which the baths originally stood was very uneven, a triple terracing had to be created to compensate for the differences in height.

The baths and equipment of the Baths of Caracalla

The logistics of the Baths of Caracalla

The water supply and drainage of the thermal baths were considered to be technically perfectly solved. A new aqueduct had been specially built for the water supply, which led into a huge cistern system. From the cistern, water was piped under pressure through lead pipes to the various pools and fountains. The waste water, in turn, was drained through a central sewer located ten meters below the plant. The heating system of the plant was also perfectly sophisticated. Hot air was conducted through clay pipes to all rooms as well as floor and pool heating systems. Under the thermal complex, more than a hundred slaves were employed to fire huge furnaces for this purpose. Every day, up to ten tons of wood had to be delivered to feed the 49 ovens under the Caldarium, the warm bath, alone.

Bathing operations were maintained through a system of underground rooms, access tunnels, and conduits that together were over six kilometers long and spread over three separate levels. On the first were the furnaces that heated the walls, floors, and pools of water. On the second were the water reservoirs for the permanent supply of fresh water, and the third level was used to dispose of wastewater.

The bathing cycle in the Baths of Caracalla

The Caracalla Baths correspond in their structure to the type of the “great imperial baths”. The visitor entered the baths through the entrance and then found himself in an anteroom (the Natatio) of the large cold-water swimming pool. From there he went to the Apodyterium, the changing room, which was adjoined by a 20 by 50 meter sports court. From here he reached the Laconica, the sweat baths. Finally, through a passage room, one reached the Caldarium, the warm bath. The Caldarium was an architectural masterpiece. Its domed roof, made of light hollow clay bodies resting on eight pillars, had a diameter of 35 meters, making it the largest dome of this construction in the world at that time. No larger dome of this type had ever been built before.

The hot bath in the Caldarium was followed by the foliage bath in the Tepidarium, a small room with two basins on the sides. Then one finished the bathing ritual by taking a plunge into the cold water pool in the great hall of the Frigidarium or by going to the Natatio, the large uncovered pool. The hall of the Frigidarium, 58 by 24 meters and spanned by three cross vaults, was also very innovative architecture at the time and inspired many later buildings (including Pennsylvania Station in New York City).

Other rooms in the Baths of Caracalla

Apart from the high halls, the bathing complex was two-story, which can be seen from the intermediate floors and stairways still present in some places. In the upper rooms, bathers could probably enjoy massages or other wellness treatments. Particularly noteworthy is the 38 by 22 meter library of the baths. In its walls there are 32 niches where scrolls were kept. In front of the walls ran a brick bench where those who took one of the scrolls from the shelves to read it could make themselves comfortable.

The interior of the Baths of Caracalla

Unfortunately, not too much of the interior of the Baths of Caracalla has been preserved. One can only imagine how richly the baths were once furnished with marble, mosaics and statues. The complex had at least 250 columns, 16 of which were over 12 meters high. Estimates showed that there were at least 120 statues in the baths, placed in the niches that existed in the walls of almost all the rooms. Equally rich was once the building ornamentation of figural capitals and decorated friezes. By the way, if you want to recover from the bathing trip to the Caracalla Baths, you can do it excellently in the park in front of the baths, which was already laid out at that time.