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THERMAE AGRIPPAE
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Upon reaching the baths Musa breathed a sigh of relief. Finally he would get some rest! " Well my young friend," He said, "Here we are at the baths!" The young apprentice looked to where Musa was pointing. Before them gathered a large collection of buildings. In the centre stood a circular structure, topped by a tall dome that gleamed in the afternoon sun. Beside the baths, more parkland stretched away towards the Tiber. Groups of young men and women wandered amongst the colonnades and shady promenades that ran through these gardens. Every now and again a fountain could be seen, providing a cool spray to passers by in the summer heat. While throughout the area, rows of trees lined the waterways that ran through the gardens.
Many statues could also be seen, as if some of those that wandered the garden had suddenly been frozen in marble. Despite the beauty of the gardens, it was not these that drew the young apprentices eyes. Beside the Thermae buildings lay a gigantic lake, its smooth waters glistening in the sunlight. On its far side, a small canal led away from the lake, toward the curving Tiber.
“That is the Stagnum,” answered Musa at the young apprentice's enquiring look toward the lake, “It was built, along with the Euripus, the canal, as part of Agrippa’s building programme here. The Thermae, the lake, the canal and the fountains are all fed by Aqua Virgo that we past under earlier.” The young apprentice nodded looking back towards the Aqua Virgo.
“Now let us go into the baths.” Musa announced, leading the young apprentice toward the buildings. “Oh I shall enjoy bathing after all this exercise!”
In front of the Thermae stood a particularly beautiful statue. “That is the Apoxymenos(1).” Said Musa, “It was sculpted by Lysipus.” The statue showed a man using a strigil to scrape the excess oil from his body. “This area has long been used for military drill and exercise, and so to have the athletic facilities and baths here is an excellent choice. Marcus Agrippa made them a gift to the people of Rome so they are free of charge.” The heat of the afternoon made the Thermae a welcome sight. Not only this but Musa’s father had long been an advocate of the medicinal value of bathing. Something that Musa heartily agreed with, even if the greatest reason was the pleasure it afforded him. “Let us be oiled and bathe,” Musa announced. “Two of my servants should be here to meet us, they know how important I think bathing in the afternoon is!”
Musa’s servants were waiting for them in the apodyterium. Wooden chests and shelves lined the whitewashed walls(2) for the bathers personal goods, and scattered around the room were wooden benches where a number of other servants were gathered watching over their masters belongings.
“We shall head straight to the Sudatorium,” Musa said to his servants as he began to change, “I and the young apprentice have done enough exercise for the day.” The servants nodded and handed them each a small piece of cloth and a pair of sandals.
“We wear these?” questioned the young apprentice, nodding to the garments(3) in his hands, “In Greece we always bathed in the nude.”
“Well, we are not in Greece now,” answered Musa, “and I suggest for your own benefit, that you put these things on.” With that Musa turned and began to change, wrapping his own linen cloth around his waist.
After the slaves had finished rubbing down their bodies with oil, they made their way to the Sudatorium, leaving one of the servants to watch their things in the apodyterium. The air of the Sudatorium was hot and wet, quickly filling their mouths and lungs. Musa leaned back against one of the terracotta walls, taking long slow breaths of the humid air. In no time, beads of sweat were sliding over their skin. Musa blinked, and wiped his brow as a droplet threatened to blur his vision. Despite the heat outside the relaxation of the sweating room was welcome.
After a while, the heat began to feel oppressive and Musa indicated that they move on to the Caldarium. The room here was nearly as warm as the Sudatorium yet somehow felt fresher. The room itself was decorated with small pictures(4) and at the far end stood a large tub(5), filled to the brim with hot water. This was the main hot room of the Baths and Musa’s favourite part of an afternoon. The heat, combined with the food and wine provided by attentive vendors was just the kind of luxury he enjoyed. Today, the steam of the Sudatorium had made Musa feel like he could certainly face a little food and even wine. Soon he and the young apprentice were feeling refreshed and well fed.
After a time, Musa nodded to his servant. The man then began to sprinkle their bodies with water from the large tub, and scraped off the remaining sweat and oil with a strigil. Once cleansed, dried and refreshed they made their way to the Tepidarium where the air, despite still being warm allowed them to begin to cool off before finally plunging onto the fresh clean waters of the frigidarium. The pools of the frigidarium itself led out into the gardens of the Thermae. From here, they could see jugglers and other entertainers drawing large crowds in the Porticos of the Baths. Every now and again the burst of laughter would drift over to where they relaxed in the cool waters of the pool. Musa leaned back against the side after taking a few leisurely strokes to the other side marble lined pool. Perhaps he would be able to improve his tan a little in the sun.
'Musa!' the young apprentices voice was loud in his ears, 'Let us return to the tour, there is still so much I want to see!'
Musa opened one eye lazily. 'Very well,' just a little longer and we'll be off, he said with a sigh. It seemed to Musa that the little longer was no time at all and before he knew it he was dressed and the young apprentice was eagerly ushering him back out of the Baths.
However, the clean toga provided by his servants had made Musa feel like new man. He even felt that he might be happy to answer all the young apprentices questions that he would no doubt be asking when they visited the last monuments on the tour of Rome.
FROM THE MAUSOLEUM AUGUSTI HOME TO THE CAMPUS MARTIUS
(1) Pliny, Natural History. 62
Lysipus was a most prolific sculptor, and surpassed all other artist in the sheer quantity of his out put, which included a statue of a man using a strigil, the Apoxymenos, dedicated by Marcus Agrippa in front of his baths; Tiberius also much admired the statue. Although he expressed some control over his feelings at the beginning of his principate, Tiberius could not restrain himself in this case and removed the Apoxymenos to his bedroom, substituting a copy. But the people of Rome were so indignant about this that they staged a protest in the theatre, shouting, ‘Bring back the Apoxymenos!’ And so despite his passion for it Tiberius was obliged to replace the original statue.
(2)Pliny, Natural History. 189.
Mosaics came into use in Sulla’s time. At any rate there still exists a mosaic floor, made from very small tessarae, which Sulla commissioned for the temple of fortune at Praeneste. Subsequently mosaics were transferred from the ground-level to vaulted ceilings and these are now made of glass. This is a technical innovation. At all events, Agrippa used encaustic to paint the terracotta in the hot rooms of his baths in Rome, and had the rest whitewashed.
'There is little information as to what would actually be worn in the baths. It is believed that they might have worn linen wraps around the waist. Shoes such as wooden clogs or sandals could also have been worn in order to protect the bathers from overly hot floors and dirty water. (see Yegul,1992)
(4)Pliny, Natural History. 26.
Marcus Agrippa… had small pictures set in the wall of the hot room of his baths, but these were removed a little while ago when the baths were being refurbished.
The labrum was a basin filled with water, often found in the schola (an apse) of the room.
