Archaeology

When approaching Roman bathhouses from within a larger chronological framework, they often figure as an apogee
of collective baths, with the Greek-Hellenistic baths as prelude and the Late Antique and Medieval baths as epilogue.
However, if we look at the cultural basis of for development and success of the Roman bathhouse, we must admit that
the ideas about the power of water and its effects on the human body go back further. Mediterranean bathing habits
were shaped by medical theories about the human body, not only in the Greek-Hellenistic and Roman period, but also in
Late Antiquity and the Early Medieval and Islamic Period. The construction activity of bathhouses, however, is mainly
dependent on the economic context. Therefore, the boom of large and luxurious bath buildings during the High Empire
has distorted our view of a bathing habit that is much more continuous over the longue durée