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

188. BALNEAE. BALNEAE.
to as a- daily source of pleasure, and not for any Apollirtaris (Epist. ii. 2), and Seneca (Epist. 51,
particular medical treatment; the more so, as it 56, 86).
resembles in many respects the system of bathing But it would be almost hopeless to attempt to
still in practice amongst the Orientals, who, as arrange the information obtained from these
Sir W. Gell remarks, " succeeded by conquest to writers, were it not for the help afforded us by the
the luxuries of the enervated Greeks and Romans." extensive ruins of ancient baths, such as the
(Gell's Pompeii, vol. i. p. 86, ed. 1832.) Thernea of Titus, Caracalla, and Diocletian, but
Having thus detailed from classical authorities above all the public baths (balneae) at Pompeii,
the general habits of the Romans in connection which were excavated in 1824-25, and were
with their system of bathing, it now remains to found to be a complete set, constructed in all their
examine and explain the internal arrangements important parts upon rules very similar to those
of the structures which contained their baths; laid down by Vitruvius. and in such good preservwhich will serve as a practical commentary upon ation that many of the chambers were complete,
all that has been said. Indeed there are more even to the ceilings.
ample. and better materials for acquiring a thorough In order to render the subjoined remarks more
insight into Roman manners in this one particular, easily intelligible, the woodcut on the preceding
than for ally other of the usages connected with page is inserted, which is taken from a fresco
their domestic habits. The principal ancient au- painting upon the walls of the thermae of Titus at
thorities are Vitruvius (v. 10), Lucian ('I7r7ras X Rome.
j3ahdciLov, a detailed description of a set of baths The annexed woodcut represents the ground
erected by an architect named Hippias), Pliny the plan of the baths of Pompeii, which are nearly
Younger, in the two letters describing his villas (ii. surrounded on three sides by houses and shops,
17, v. 6), Statius (Balneum Eltrusci, Silv. i. 5), thus forming what the Romans termed an insula.
Martial (vi.. 42, and other epigrams), Sidonius The whole building, which comprises a double
U16 1
set of baths, has six different entrances from the rounding the insula (the outer curb of which is
street, one of-which A, gives admission to the marked upon the plan by the thin line drawn
smaller set only, which are supposed to have been round it), and after descending three steps, the
appropriated to the women, and'five others to the bather finds upon his left hand a small chamber
male department; of which two, B and C, com- (1), which contained a convenience (latrinn *), and
municate directly with the furnaces, and the other proceeds into a covered portico (2), which ran
three D, E, F, with the bathing apartments, of round three sides of an open court-aelium (3),
which F, the nearest to the forum, was the prin- and these together formed the vestibule of the
cipal one; the other two, D and E, being on dif- baths - vestibulunsn balnearum (Cic. Pro Cael. 26),
ferent sides of the building, served for the conve- in which the servants belonging to the establishnience of those who lived on the north and east ment, as well as the attendants of the bathers,
sides of the city. To have a variety of entrances waited. There are seats for their accommodation
(io'aotes wroXhaas TeOvpoWei'0v) is one of the qualities enumerated by Lucian as necessary to a well- * Latrina was also used previously to the time
constructed set of baths. (Hippias, 8.) Passing of Varro for the bathing-vessel, quasi lavatriva.
through the principal' entrance F, which is re- (Varro, De Ling Lat. ix. 68. ed. Muller; compare
moved from the street by a narrow footway sur- Lucill. ap. Non. c. 3. n. 131.)