Thermae be applied to those magnificent edifices which grew up under the empire, in place of the simple balneae of the republic, and which comprised within their range of buildings all the appurtenances belonging to the Greek gymnasia, as well as a regular establishment appropriated for bathing. Writers, however, use these terms without distinction. Thus the baths erected by Claudius Etruscus, the freedman of the Emperor Claudius, are styled by Statius "balnea", and by Martial "Etrusci thermulae". In an epigram by "Martial"—"subice balneum thermis"—the terms are not applied to the whole building, but to two different chambers in the same edifice.
Roman ruins of Pisões thick wall. The masonry and wedge bricks are specially constructed to support the structure, with gaps sealed with small stones. The dam closes a hydrological basin that extends to Beja, covering an area of . It is assumed that the reservoir created from this dam occupied a length of and area of , holding a volume . The dam helped to supply water for agriculture and recreational purposes (including the swimming pool and thermae) in the villa. Roman ruins of Pisões The Roman Ruins of Pisões (), is an important Roman villa rustica located in the civil parish of Beja