Transcript The Roman Baths

The Roman Baths
Outside of the Roman Baths
If you recall, this is the Abbey as seen from the Roman Baths
The water is green from the algae growth caused by the heat and daylight
The thing that looks like books by the back wall, these were box tiles
that was used in the vault covering the Baths, being light and strong
and providing an insulating layer. Surfaces were combed before the
clay was fired to help mortar and plaster adhere. Sometimes stray
animals in the tile works would step on the unfired tiles and have their
imprints preserved.
The next few pictures are of the pediment of the Temple.
This elaborately carved pediment would have been rich in meaning
for native and Roman visitors. The powerful face of the Gorgan
dominated the Temple precinct from the top of the Temple building.
The King’s Bath
The rust area shows where the water level used to be in the baths
The next pictures are of the ruins of the bath, I tried putting them in
order of how I walked through the ruins.
This was the alter for sacrifices to the Goddess Minerva
Relief carving of the goddess Luna which decorated one of the
buildings in the Temple precinct. The disc of the moon can be seen
behind her head and she holds a whip for driving her chariot across
the night sky.
This impressive arched overflow was part of the Roman engineering arrangements which still
keep the hot water flowing through the complex today.
This tomb sculpture shows a civilian man wearing a cloak and possibly a document or
scroll. This tomb gives archeologists an idea of who lived and/or visited the area.
This tomb sculpture is a large stone head commemorating a
wealthy lady, datable to the late first century by her hairstyle.
Trophy at the Roman Bath ruins
These are the hypocausts or under floor heating room.
This is the circular baths where bathers completed their visit to the
steam rooms with a cold plunge to rinse off, freshen up and close
the pores of their skin.
Those sparkly things in the water are coins that visitors (present
day) threw in to make a wish.
Postcards from the Roman Baths