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
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