The Roman Baths The Roman baths are immense and outstanding complex structures designed for bathing, relaxing, and socializing. The Romans believed the baths were essential to Roman civilization and that they were an example of their superiority and power. The Roman baths are an important part of daily life in ancient Rome’s architecture and social role, since it fulfilled Romans’ concerns about health and cleanliness, as well as allow all social classes to mix freely, relax, communicate, and bathe while being drivers of the evolution of architecture. The Roman baths were centers of leisure, socialization, business, and gossip. They were originally built as a kind of private gym in the villas of wealthy Romans. The baths also existed in early …show more content…
On holidays the fee entry would be free, a during Diocletian’s reign the fee cost two denarii, more expensive than usual. The wealth Romans had balnae in their villas, which are smaller, private bathhouses. The Roman baths, which are called thermae, were immensely large bathhouses built for a state and it typically took several blocks. Mixed bathing was unacceptable by most citizens, so there were times for both men and women at the Roman baths. Roman men would work around the afternoon and finish by 2PM or 3PM. At 2PM, the baths were open for mainly men to sport, bathe, and communicate until the baths close. On the other hand, Women had less time, they went in the morning while the men were at work to bathe, gossip, exercise if they were athletes, and meet friends until 2PM. Republican bathhouses had separate bathing facilities for men and women instead of having times for men and women. As the bath’s popularity grew, men began to use the baths daily, even the Emperor Commodus− the Roman Emperor from 180 to 192 as well as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177, liked bathing so much he says he visited