Roman baths — an egalitarian pleasure funded from the imperial treasury. What role did they play?

Article bay
6 min readJul 25, 2023

Nothing united the citizens of the Roman Empire as much as the baths did. Roman baths were places of gatherings, business deals, and crucial political debates. They fueled the development of architecture and art while separating the civilized world from the barbaric. Some of the complexes of Roman baths can still be admired today.

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Although public baths are strongly associated with Roman culture, their origins can be traced back to Greece. Ablutions were initially linked to religious rituals, but the baths quickly became places of relaxation and socializing. The great physician of antiquity, Hippocrates, advocated for a hygienic lifestyle.

The most elaborate public baths had separate rooms for cold, warm, and steam baths. While these were elementary features according to later Roman standards, they were still considered novelties in Greece.

Roman baths were accessible to everyone

Greeks also left another significant feature of the baths — their egalitarian nature. In the baths, social differences blurred. They were used not only by the wealthy and privileged but also by the poor.

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