BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Luxurious Private Bath Uncovered at Pompeii

Excavation reveals one of the city’s largest private baths

Pottery left behind in the luxurious baths following the destruction of Pompeii. Courtesy Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

Continued excavations at Pompeii have revealed possibly the largest private bath complex ever uncovered in the ancient city. Attached to an equally impressive house, the baths give a further glimpse into the luxury and pomp that could surround the life of an aristocratic Pompeiian family in the lead-up to the city’s destruction by Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE.

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Bathing in Pompeii

The newly discovered private baths are one of the largest and most complex ever discovered at Pompeii, with a cold room that could host upwards of 30 people at a time. Hosted is certainly the key word, as the bath complex would have played an important role in turning the house into a tool to impress and flaunt the owner’s status. “Everything was designed to stage a show, in which the owner was the center of attention,” emphasized Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

After undressing in a changing room decorated with vibrant red walls and mosaic floors, those invited into the baths would have first entered the hot room. Here, the suspended floor allowed hot air to flow underneath, turning the room into a sauna, heated by a furnace. After this, they would have moved into a warm room where they would massage their skin with oils before finally entering the cold room. Here, they would have plunged into the pool or simply sat with their feet in the water, chatting with those around them. The walls of the cold room were ornately decorated, featuring wall paintings of athletes and scenes from the Trojan War. According to Zuchtriegel, this “must have lent these spaces a Greek atmosphere, in other words, an environment full of culture and erudition as well as relaxation. The peristyle with the large pool in the center and the adjoining thermal bath complex created a setting worthy of a Greek gymnasium which was further accentuated by the athletic scenes added later on.”

The cold room of the private bath complex featuring a central pool. Courtesy Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

Immediately adjacent to the bath complex was a large dining hall, known as the “black salon,” excavated the year before the pool’s discovery. Painted black and measuring about 50 feet long and 20 feet wide, the hall had an exquisite mosaic floor, and beautiful frescoes featuring mythological scenes inspired by the Trojan War. Together, the pool and the dining hall “would have transported guests into the world of a Greek palace,” said Zuchtriegel.

Map of the large house with the bath complex highlighted in red. Courtesy Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

With the dining hall and the bath complex, the house lent itself to becoming a stage for celebrating sumptuous banquets, offering the house’s owner the opportunity to flaunt his wealth, or perhaps to gain the electoral support of his guests. Beyond the house, the owner may have also owned nearby buildings, including a laundry and bakery.

Related reading in Bible History Daily:

Excavating Pompeii’s Middle Class

Pompeii Fast Food Restaurant Uncovered

Pompeii Reborn

Roman Construction Site Uncovered at Pompeii

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library:

The Destruction of Pompeii—God’s Revenge?

How to Find a Brothel in Pompeii

Climbing Vesuvius

Pompeii Pizza?