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
Bathing personal cleanliness. The earliest findings of baths date from the mid-2nd millennium BC in the palace complex at Knossos, Crete, and the luxurious alabaster bathtubs excavated in Akrotiri, Santorini. The Greeks established public baths and showers within gymnasiums for relaxation and personal hygiene. The word "gymnasium"(γυμνάσιο) comes from the Greek word "gymnos"(γυμνός), meaning naked. Ancient Rome developed a network of aqueducts to supply water to all large towns and population centres and had indoor plumbing, with pipes that terminated in homes and at public wells and fountains. The Roman public baths were called thermae. The thermae were not simply baths,