Thermae Thermae In ancient Rome, thermae (from Greek θερμός "thermos", "hot") and balneae (from Greek βαλανεῖον "balaneion") were facilities for bathing. "Thermae" usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while "balneae" were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout Rome. Most Roman cities had at least one, if not many, such buildings, which were centres not only for bathing, but socializing, and reading as well. Roman bath-houses were also provided for private villas, town houses, and forts. They were supplied with water from an adjacent river or stream, or more normally, by an aqueduct. The water
Glossary of ancient Roman religion For public religious holidays, see Roman festivals. For temples see the List of Ancient Roman temples. Individual landmarks of religious topography in ancient Rome are not included in this list; see Roman temple. The verb "abominari" ("to avert an omen", from "ab-", "away, off," and "ominari", "to pronounce on an omen") was a term of augury for an action that rejects or averts an unfavourable omen indicated by a "signum", "sign". The noun is "abominatio", from which English "abomination" derives. At the taking of formally solicited auspices ("auspicia impetrativa"), the observer was required to acknowledge any potentially bad sign occurring