Archaeologists Dig Up Roman Bath Complex
Pastor Dale Morgan
Archaeologists Dig Up Roman Bath Complex*
By MARTA FALCONI
The Associated Press
Thursday, July 19, 2007; 6:46 PM
ROME -- Archaeologists said Thursday they have partly dug up a
second-century bath complex believed to be part of the vast, luxurious
residence of a wealthy Roman.
The two-story complex, which extends for at least 5 acres, includes
exceptionally well-preserved decorated 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 head of the excavation, said Thursday
during a tour of the digs with The Associated Press. Only pedestals and
fragments have been recovered.
Arya spoke as students and experts were brushing off earth 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 is believed to be part of a multiple-story villa that
belonged to the Roman equivalent of a billionaire of today, a man called
Quintus Servilius Pudens who was friends with Emperor Hadrian, Arya
said. It is not clear if the baths were open to the public or reserved
to distinguished guests of the owner.
"These people lived a magnificent existence and were able to provide
entertainment," to others, said Arya, who is also a professor at the
American Institute for Roman Culture.
Excavations at the Villa delle Vignacce park lasted a total of 10 weeks,
and it is planned to continue, he said. Future decisions, including
whether the site will be opened to the public, are still to be made.
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 would go through a series of rooms
of alternating temperatures at a leisurely pace, dipping themselves in
hot and cold baths. It was a social event, but also a way to purify
their bodies of toxins and a form of relaxation.