Ancient Roman bathing And it was said that 'Wine, women, warmth, to life destruction give, But it is by wine, women, warmth that we live' The objections of the philosopher Seneca were instead about the associated noise that interrupted his work when he resided above a bath. Ancient Roman bathing Bathing played a major part in ancient Roman culture and society. It was one of the most common daily activities in Roman culture, and was practiced across a wide variety of social classes. Though many contemporary cultures see bathing as a very private activity conducted in the home, bathing in Rome was a
Thermae singular number, were the public baths. But this accuracy of diction is neglected by many of the subsequent writers, and particularly by the poets, amongst whom "balnea" is not uncommonly used in the plural number to signify the public baths, since the word "balneae" could not be introduced in a hexameter verse. Pliny also, in the same sentence, makes use of the neuter plural "balnea" for public, and of "balneum" for a private bath. "Thermae" (Greek: , "Thermai", "hot springs, hot baths", from the Greek adjective "thermos", "hot") meant properly warm springs, or baths of warm water; but came to