Baths of Caracalla

History

Construction of the baths was probably initiated by Emperor Septimius Severus and completed during the reign of his son, Caracalla. They were inaugurated in AD 216. The baths were located in the southern area of the city, Regio XII Piscina Publica, where members of the Severan family commissioned other construction works: the Via Nova leading to the baths and the Septizodium on nearby Palatine Hill. The site chosen for the baths formerly belonged to a vast garden estate known as the horti Asiniani, developed by Gaius Asinius Pollio during the reign of Augustus. The Farnese Bull sculptural group that was later moved into the Baths of Caracalla was already present at the site in the time of Pollio, who had imported it to display in his gardens.

Caracalla appropriated the estate of Pollio to build his baths; the existing structures were demolished in some cases to their ground floors, filled in with earth, and incorporated into the foundations of the new complex. The remains of one of these structures, a noble domus (house), were excavated initially by Francesco Ficoroni in the mid-18th century and again in 1860–1867 by G.B. Guidi. Recently this two-storey domus deep below the baths, built in 134–138 during the reign of Hadrian, and partially demolished in 206 has been opened to the public revealing lavishly decorated frescoed ceilings and a lararium, a room dedicated to Roman and Egyptian gods.

For work to have been mostly completed in the time of Caracalla, workers would have had to have installed over 2,000 tonnes (2,200 short tons) of material every day for six years.

Work on additional decorations continued under Caracalla's successors Elagabalus and Severus Alexander. The baths were likely mostly finished by 235. Later renovations were conducted under Aurelian (after a fire) and by Diocletian. Under Constantine the Great the caldarium was modified.

The building was heated by a hypocaust, a system of burning coal and wood underneath the ground to heat water provided by a dedicated aqueduct. The baths were free and open to the public. …

Description

The bath complex covered approximately 25 hectares (62 acres). The complex is rectangular, measuring 337 m × 328 m. Its construction involved the moving of a substantial amount of earth, as parts of the nearby hills had to be removed or leveled into platforms. Several million bricks were used in the construction. The baths contained at least 252 columns, 16 of which had a height of over 12 m.

Water was carried to the baths by the then newly constructed Acqua Antoniniana from the major Acqua Marcia. The exact path of the aqueduct supplying the baths is not known, as only a few segments have been discovered. The aqueduct connected to the southern side of the baths, where it filled 18 cisterns. These, in turn, were connected by lead pipes with the baths proper.

The baths followed the "great Imperial baths" blueprint for Roman baths. They were more of a leisure centre than just a series of baths. Besides being used for bathing, the complex also offered facilities for taking walks, reading/studying, exercise, and body care. The main building stood in the centre with no connections to the surrounding walls, which housed the cisterns, two symmetrical libraries (south), two large exedras (east and west) and tabernae (shops) to the north. The surviving library measures 38 m × 22 m. Between the outer wall and the central complex were gardens (xystus).

The axis of the baths was laid out in a northeast to southwest fashion to make use of the sun's heat. The caldarium faced southwest, the frigidarium northeast. Overall, the bath area was arranged along a single linear axis. However, dressing rooms and palaestra were arranged symmetrically on both sides of the building, giving easier access and facilitating the flow of people in and out of the thermal area, thus increasing the number of potential users of the baths.

The bath main building was 214 m × 110 m and the height to the top of the roof line was 44 m (145 ft); it covered 2.6 hectares (6+1⁄2 acres) and could hold an estimated 1,600 bathers. …

Works of art

The baths were originally ornamented with high-quality sculptures, estimated to have numbered more than 120. Despite their location in one of the city's working-class areas, of all the antique baths in Rome, the Baths of Caracalla were found to have contained the most lavish assortment of statues. Although many were destroyed in the Middle Ages to make lime, beginning in the 16th century under Pope Paul III Farnese, sculptures were excavated from the area to serve as decorations in newly built palazzi.

Among the well-known pieces recovered from the Baths of Caracalla are the Farnese Bull (probably from the eastern palaestra) and Farnese Hercules (from the frigidarium), now in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples; others are in the Museo di Capodimonte there. One of the many statues is the colossal 4 m (13 ft) statue of Asclepius.

Two granite tubs from the frigidarium were taken to Piazza Farnese, where they still serve as fountains, made by Girolamo Rainaldi. A granite column from the natatio was taken to Florence by Cosimo I de' Medici in Piazza Santa Trinita. It is now known as the Column of Justice. In the Lateran Collection of the Vatican Museums are mosaics composed of rectangular panels depicting athletes, which were discovered in 1824 in two of the library exedrae to the east and west of the baths complex. They have been restored and are on display in the Gregoriano Profano Museum.

Cultural impact

The Baths of Caracalla (and especially the central frigidarium) had a significant impact on the architecture of many later buildings. In Roman times, these included the Baths of Diocletian and the Basilica of Maxentius.

In the 19th and early 20th century, the design of the baths was used as the inspiration for several modern structures, including St George's Hall in Liverpool, the original Pennsylvania Station (demolished in 1963) in New York City, the current Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa, the interior of the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, and the main hall of the University of Leipzig (demolished in 1968).

The main halls of Penn Station, the Senate of Canada Building, and Chicago Union Station made use of direct copies of the frigidarium's architecture.