Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

BALNEAE.. BALNEAE. 187
at a time, and that only when requisite. But the either in the sun, or in the tepid or thermal chamluxuries of the empire knew no such bounds, and ber, and finally to take their food.
the daily bath was sometimes repeated as many as The Romans did not content themselves with a
seven and eight times in succession - the number single bath of hot or cold water; but they went
which the Emperor Commodus indulged himself through a course of baths in succession, in which
with. (Lamnprid. Corn. c. 2.) Gordian bathedseven the agency of air as well as water was applied.
times a day in summer, and twice in winter. The It is difficult to ascertain the precise order in
Emperor Gallienus six or seven times in summer, which the course was usually taken, if indeed
and twice or thrice in winter. (Capitolin. Gall. there was any general practice beyond the whim
c. 17.) Commodus also took his meals in the bath of the individual. Under medical treatment, the
(Lamprid. 1. c.); a custom which was not confined succession would, of course, be regulated by the
to a dissolute Emperor alone. (Comp. Martial, nature of the disease for which a cure was sought,
jpuig. xii. 19.) and would vary also according to the different
It was the usual and constant habit of the Ro- practice of different physicians. It is certain,
mans to take the bath after exercise, and pre- however, that it was a general practice to close
viously to their principal meal (coena); but the the pores, and brace the body after the excessive
debauchees of the empire bathed after eating as perspiration of the vapour bath, either by pouring
well as before, in order to promote digestion, so as cold water over the head, or by plunging at once
to acquire a new appetite for fresh delicacies. Nero into the piscina, or into a river. (Auson. Mosell.
is related to have indulged in this practice. (Suet. 341.) Musa, the physician of Augustus, is said to
Nero, 27; comp. Juv. Sat. i. 142.) have introduced this practice (Plin. H. N. xxv. 7.
Upon quitting the bath it was usual for the s. 38), which became quite the fashion, in conRomans as well as the Greeks to be anointed with sequence of the benefit which the emperor derived
oil; but a particular habit of body, or tendency to from it, though Dion (liii. p. 517) accuses Musa of
certain complaints, sometimes required this order having artfully caused the death of Marcellus by
to be reversed; for which reason Augustus, who an improper application of the same treatment. In
suffered from nervous disorders, was accustomed to other cases it was considered conducive to health
anoint himself before bathing (Suet. Aug. 82); to pour warm water over the head before the
and a similar practice was adopted by Alexander vapolur bath, and cold water immediately after it
Severus. (Lamprid. Alex. Sev. 1. c.) The most (Plin. H. N. xxviii. 4. s. 14; Cels. De Med. i.
usual practice, however, seems to have been to 3); and at other times, a succession of warm,
take some gentle exercise (exercitatio), in the first tepid, and cold water was resorted to.
instance, and then, after bathing, to be anointed The two physicians Galen and Celsus differ in
EATS RIGIDARN TPIDAR IUM CONAMEAA _ BAL NEUM /.
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some respects as to the order in which the baths (Galen, DeMethodoMedendi, x. 10. p. 708, 709, ed.
should be taken; the former recommending first the KUhn); whilst the latter recommends his patients
hot air of the Laconicum (&apL ~rep/x.), next the first to sweat for a short time in the tepid chamber
bath of warm water ('iowp [eplmbv and XoDTpov *), (tepidariumu), without undressing; then to proceed
afterwards the cold, and finally to be well rubbed into the thermal chamber (calidarium), and after
having gone through a regular course of perspir* Aoipov. In this passage it is plain that the ation there, not to descend into the warm bath
word XovTpov is used for a warm bath, in which (soliurm), but to pour a quantity of warm water
sense it also occurs in the same author. Vitruvius over the head, then tepid, and finally cold; after(v. 11), on the contrary, says that the Greeks used wards to be scraped with the strigil (perfricari),
the same word to signify a cold bath (frigida and finally rubbed dry and anointed. (Cels. De
lavatio, quame Graeci XoVcrpov vocitant). The con- Med. i. 4.) Such, in all probability, was the usual
tradiction between the two authors is here pointed habit of the Romans when the bath was resorted
out, for the purpose of showing the impossibility,
as well as impropriety, of attempting to affix one made use of by the ancient writers in reference to
precise meaning to each of the different terms their bathing establishments.