Bathing in Greek and Roman times [modify] The day spa town of Hisarya in Bulgaria. An ancient Roman city was constructed in the 1st century advertisement because of the mineral springs in the area. Coriovallum Roman baths in Heerlen, The Netherlands (reconstructed) A few of the earliest descriptions of western bathing practices came from Greece.
These Aegean people utilized little bathtubs, wash basins, and foot baths for individual tidiness. The earliest such findings are the baths in the palace complex at Knossos, Crete, and the elegant alabaster tubs excavated in Akrotiri, Santorini; both date from the mid-2nd millennium BC. They developed public baths and showers within their gymnasium complexes for relaxation and individual health.
Around these spiritual pools, Greeks developed bathing centers for those desiring healing. Supplicants left offerings to the gods for healing at these sites and bathed themselves in hopes of a remedy. The Spartans established a primitive vapor bath. At Serangeum, an early Greek balneum (bathhouse, loosely translated), bathing chambers were cut into the hillside from which the hot springs provided.
Among the bathing chambers had an ornamental mosaic floor depicting a driver and chariot pulled by four horses, a woman followed by 2 dogs, and a dolphin below. Therefore, the early Greeks used the natural functions, however broadened them and included their own facilities, such as designs and racks.
The Romans replicated much of the Greek bathing practices. Romans surpassed the Greeks in the size and complexity of their baths. A Good Read came about by numerous factors: the bigger size and population of Roman cities, the accessibility of running water following the structure of aqueducts, and the development of cement, that made building large edifices easier, safer, and cheaper.
As the Roman Empire broadened, the concept of the public bath spread to all parts of the Mediterranean and into areas of Europe and North Africa. With the construction of the aqueducts, the Romans had sufficient water not just for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses, but also for their leisurely pursuits.