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

BALN EAE. 2BALNEAIE. 19 1
This distribution is represented in the painting on lower step (gradus ia/crior), which together take
the walls of the Thermae of Titus; in which there up. two feet.
is also another peculiarity to be observed, viz., the The warm bath at Pompeii is a square basin of
passage of communication (intercapedo) between the marble, and is ascended from the outside by two
two chambers, the flooring of which is suspended steps raised from the floor, which answered to the
over the hypocaust. Lucian informs us of the use parapet or pluteus of Vitruvius. Around ran a
for which this compartment was intended, where narrow platform (schola); but which, in consequence
he mentions as one of the characteristic conveni- of the limited extent of the building, would not adences in the baths of Hippias, that the bathers need mit of a seat (pultinus) all around it. On the innot retrace their steps through the whole suite of terior another step allowed the bathers to sit down
apartments by which they had entered, but might and wash themselves. The annexed section will
return from the thermal chamber by a shorter cir- render this easily intelligible.
cuit through a room of gentle temperature (&' ~ps'/a
rbep/LO oKlcUa7'roS, 1. c. 7), which communicated 1
immediately with the firigidarium. 1
The warm-water bath, which is termed calda iil_.,
lavatio by Vitruvius (I. c), balineum by Cicero
(Ad Att. ii. 3), piscina or clida piscina by Pliny gf R []i
(Ep. ii. 17) and Suetonius (Nero, 27), as well
as labrumn (Cic. Ad Fam. xiv. 16), and solium by
Cicero (in Pison. 27), appears to have been a capa- A, labren B. schola C, plutets D, the step
cious marble vase, sometimes standing upon the y called sde/nsa. (Fule. Urflior, like that in the picture from the Thermae oficlin) In the
Titus; and sometimes either partly elevated above women's baths of the opulent and luxurious capital,
the floor, as it was at Pompeii, or entirely sunk into the N xxxiii. 12. sometimes made of silver. Plin.
it, as directed by Vitruvius (v. 10). His words are
these: - " The bath (labrum) should be placed V We now turn to the opposite extremity of the
underneath the window, in such a position that the chamber which contains the Laconicun or vapersons who stand aro-und may not cast their sha-pour bath, so called because it was the custom of
dows upon it. The platform'which surrounds the the Lacedaemonians to strip and anoint themselves
bath (sc/olae labrorun) must be sufficiently spa- without using warm water after the perspiration
cibois to admit of the suco rrounding observters, who sproduced by their athletic exercises. (Dion Cass. liii.
cious to admit of the surrounding observers, whoPr
are waiting for their turn, to stand there without p. 516; comp. Martial. Epig. vi. 42. 1.) It is
crowding each other. The width of the passage or termed assa by Cicero (Ad Quint. Frat. iii. 1. ~ 1),
channel (alveus), which lies between the parapet from, to dry; because it produced perspira(pluteus), and the wall, should not be less than six tion by means of a dry, hot atmosphere, which
feet, so that the space occupied by the seat and its Celsus (iii. cap. ult.) consequently terms sudatione
step below (pulvinus et gradus inferior) may take assas, " dry sweating," which he afterwards adds
off just two feet from the whole width." The sub- (xi. 17) was produced by dry warmth (caeore
joined plans given by Marini, will explain hi s/eco). It was called by the Greeks 7rupzatripio;
meaning. (Voss. Lex. Etym. s. v.) from the fire of the hypocaust, which was extended under it; and hence by
Alexander Aphrodis. dqpbv aoX4v, ca dry vaulted
chamber."
Vitruvius says that its width should be equal
Ul~ 1' i~D ) II _h I )_1
A., lab_.um, or bath; B, schola, or iatform; C,
pluteus, or parapet; D, alheots, passage between the to its height, reckoning from the flooring (suspenpluteus and wall; F, puleinus, or seat; and E, the sura) to the bottom of the thole (ienam curvaturam