Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/452

at one end, and the labrum (4) at the other. (1) and (2) are the vessels for water over the fornax ; and the pas sages in the roof and walls for the escape of heated air will

be observed.

Fig. 4.—Section of Baths of Pompeii.

FIG. 5. Ground-Plan of the Baths of Caracalla.

A clear idea of the relative position of the different rooms, and some slight indication of their ornamentation, will be obtained from the accompanying woodcut (fig. 4). The Hues under the calidarium and the labrum (1) may be observed, as also the opening in the roof above. (2), (3), and (4) mark the vessels for water which are placed between the men s baths on the left and the women s on the right.

The arrangements of the thermae were mainly those of the balnere on a larger scale. Some idea of their size may be gathered from such facts as these, that in the baths of Diocletian one room has been transmuted into a church of most imposing proportions, and that the outside walls of the baths of Caracalla extend about a quarter of a mile on each of the four sides. A visit to the remains of the baths of Titus, of Diocletian, or of Caracalla impresses the rniiid strongly with a sense of the vast scale on which they were erected, and Ammianus s designation of them as pro vinces appears scarcely exaggerated. It is said that the baths of Caracalla contained 1600, and those of Diocletian 3200 marble seats for the use of the bathers, largest of the thermse there was a stadium for the games of the young men, with raised seats for the spectators. There were open colonnades and seats for phi! osophers and literary men to sit and discourse or read their productions aloud, or for others to discuss the latest news. Near the porticoes, in the interior open space, rows of trees were planted. There was a sphccristerium, or place for" playing ball, which was often over the apodyterium ; but it must be confessed that the purposes of many portions of these large edifices have not been made out in as satisfactory a way as those of smaller baths. A more definite idea of tha thermse can be best got by an examination of the accom panying plan of the baths of Caracalla (fig. 5). A good deal of the plan is conjectural, the restorations being marked by lighter shading.

At the bottom of the plan is shown a long colonnade, which faces the street, behind which was a series of chambers, supposed to have been separate bathing-rooms. Entering by the opening in its centre, the visitor passes what was probably an inner colonnade round the main building. Passing in by either of the gates (2, 2), he reaches the large chamber (3), which has been variously called the natatio or large swimming bath, or the tepidarium. The great central room (4) in all probability was the cali Jarium, with two labra (6, 6) on opposite sides, and with four alvei, one in each, corner, represented by small circular dots. (9) has been regarded by some as the laconi- cum, although it appears very large for that purpose. The rooms (15, 15) have been variously described as baptisteria and as laconica. Most authors are agreed in thinking that the large rooms (13) and (16) were the sphseristeria, or places tor playing ball.

Returning to the outside, (1) and (18) and the corresponding place.? on the other side, are supposed to have been the exedra? for philoso phers, and places corresponding to the Greek xysti. (20) and (19) have been considered to be servants rooms. (22) was the stadium, with raised seats for the spectators. The space between this and the lavge central hall (9) was planted with trees, and at (21) the aque duct brought water into the castellum or reservoir, which was on an tipper story. There were upper stories in most portions of the building, and in these probably were the libraries and small theatres.

The magnificence of many of the thermae and their luxu rious arrangements were such that some writers, as Seneca., are quite lost in their descriptions of them. The piscinas were often of immense size, that of Diocletian being 200 feet long, and were adorned with beautiful marbles. The halls were crowded with magnificent columns, and were ornamented with the finest pieces of statuary. The walls, it has been said, were covered with exquisite mosaics that imitated the art of the painter in their elegance of design and variety of colour. The Egyptian syenite was encrusted with the precious green marbles of Ku- midia. The rooms contained the works of Phidias and Praxiteles. A perpetual stream of water was poured into capacious basins through the wide mouths of lions of bright and polished silver ; water issued from silver, and was received on silver. " To such a pitch of luxury have we reached," says Seneca, "that we are dis satisfied if we do not tread on gems in our baths."

Fig.^[1]—Ring on which are suspended some of the articles in use in the Alipterium.

The richer Romans used every variety of oils and pomades (smcg- mata); they scarcely had true soaps. The poorer class had to be content with the flour of lentils, an article used at this day for the same purpose by Orientals. The most important bath utensil was the strigillus, a curved instrument made of metal, with which the skin was scraped and all sordes removed.

The bath servants assisted in anointing, in using

In the I the strigillus, and in various other menial offices. The

poorer classes had to use their strigils themselves. The

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1. The figure represents four strigils, in which the hollow for collect ing the oil or perspiration from the body may be observed. There is also a small ampulla or vessel containing oil, meant to keep the strigils smooth, and a small flat patera or drinking vessel, out cf which it was customary to drink after the bathing was finished.