Virtual Poster Session for International Conference Roman Baths and Agency

International Conference Roman Baths and Agency

Sadi Maréchal and Konogan Beaufay

More info: https://www.ugent.be/lw/archeologie/en/news-events/events/roman-bath-and-agency-2023

Filter displayed posters (65 keywords)

Baths 2 Ostia 2 show more… 3D reconstruction 1 Agency 1 Aquincum 1 Architecture 1 Asia Minor 1 Baden 1 Bathing 1 Bathing in the Roman World 1 Brigetio 1 Civitavecchia 1 Closest Facility 1 Construction 1 Gini 1 John Lydus 1 John the Cappadocian 1 Justinian I 1 Late Antiquity 1 Late-Antiquity 1 Marble 1 Microscopy 1 Middle Ages 1 Middle Danube provinces 1 Mortar 1 Ocriculum 1 Pannonia 1 Parion 1 Pompeii 1 Praetorian Prefect 1 Roman Architecture 1 Roman Architecture-bronze vessel-Roman Portugal-Ancient Thermalism 1 Roman Baths 1 Roman Provincial Baths 1 Roman Sculpture 1 Roman baths 1 Roman spa 1 Roman thermae 1 Roman times 1 Roman villas 1 Rome 1 Service Area 1 Sixth Century 1 Starozagorski mineralni bani 1 Tarraco 1 Thrace 1 Troad 1 Urbanism 1 Water 1 ancient topography 1 architectural survey 1 bath building 1 bricks with stamp 1 building inscriptions 1 continuity 1 epigraphy 1 graffiti 1 healing baths 1 healing spas 1 inequality 1 legionary bath 1 legionary baths 1 soldiers 1 thermal baths 1 thermal complex 1
Show posters
Poster: Roman Baths of Parion in the Province of Asia: Similarities and Differences from Roman Bath Architecture

Roman Baths of Parion in the Province of Asia: Similarities and Differences from Roman Bath Architecture

Alper YILMAZ

Abstract
Three Roman baths have been discovered by the archaeological fieldwork carried out in Parion until the present day: the Parion Slope Bath, the Parion Roman Bath, and the Great Bath. Archaeological excavations in those three baths built in the city centre have not been completed yet. On the other hand, based on the existing plans and the general classification of Roman bath architecture, The Parion Slope Bath and the Parion Roman Bath can be classified as balneae whereas the Great Bath as thermae. The type of plan already encountered in the baths of Pompeii and matured with the baths of the Early Imperial Period in the Campania Region was implemented in the Slope Bath, which was dated slightly after the first quarter of the 1st century AD. The use of the laconicum, which is heated from the below, reflects the elements of Vitruvius's description. The combined use of the channel hypocaust system and the suspensura, which we consider as an early feature and the existence of special bathing tubs similar to hip-baths that we know from the Greek baths are not a common not common features the baths of the province of Asia. In Asia Minor, the Pergamon "Building Z" (Private Bath), the Pergamon Diodoros Pasparos Building (Augustus Baths) and the Miletus Vergilius Capito Baths (Bath-Gymnasium) are considered to be the first examples of their kind. In terms of architectural features and construction technique, it can be said that the Parion slope bath are contemporary with these bath. Roman Bath In the Parion Roman Bath, dated to the 2nd century AD, the characteristics of baths in the Western Provinces and the province of Asia manifest themselves as a mixture, together with other features of others from the baths of the Campania Region. The piscina built on the short side of the frigidarium of the Roman Baths of Parion differs from its counterparts in its architecture. The closest similar piscina can be seen in the Hadrianic Baths of Aphrodisias. However, the pool in the Aphrodisias Hadrianic Baths was used as a natatio. The impluvium with portico and cistern system built on the eastern block of the Roman Baths of Parion is a different application for the baths in Asia Minor. Great Bath In the Great Bath, the excavations have have not been completed yet. The spatial arrangement of the cold-warm-hot cycle, which is the basic element of the Roman Baths and constitutes the bathing order, has not been determined yet.

Presented by
Alper Yılmaz
Institution
Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Other Affiliations
Department of Archaeology
Keywords
Roman Architecture, Roman Baths, Bathing in the Roman World, Roman Provincial Baths, Asia Minor, Troad, Parion
Chat with PresenterAvailable e.g. October 19th 12:20-12:25 pm Join the Discussion Watch Presentation
Poster: Bathing Soldiers in Brigetio

Bathing Soldiers in Brigetio

Dávid Bartus - Melinda Szabó

Abstract
The systematic excavations of the legionary fortress in Brigetio (Pannonia) have been started in 2017. In the last two years, the research was focused on the recently discovered bath of the fortress. According to the GPR images, the monumental building complex of the bath was approximately 6000 m2. In 2021 and 2022, a total of 1200 m2 were unearthed, and another 600 m2 were opened in summer 2023. In the present state of research several cold and hot rooms, some sewers, cold and heated pools and preaefurnia are known.

Besides the important architectural and archaeological information we have by excavations, we could gather information about the people who were in connection with this building complex. First of all, the brick stamps show us the troops which built or renovated the bath, and sometimes even tribuni names like Lupicinus or Terentius. The earliest brick stamps belonged to the Legio XI Claudia, the last ones to the 4th century CE.

The users of the bath were obviously the soldiers of the legion. More than 140 military persons are known from Brigetio on the score of inscriptions: their names, their age, their rank and even their origin can be retrieved from the epigraphical material.

After the golden ages of Roman presence in Pannonia, the building complex of the bath remained in use by different people, in different ways. A well was dig into the bath, and later it was filled with the material of a Late Roman antler workshop. After the end of the Roman era, the place was used as cemetery
Presented by
Dávid Bartus - Melinda Szabó
Institution
ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Classical and Roman Archaeology
Keywords
legionary bath, Pannonia, Brigetio, soldiers
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Poster: The role of Roman baths in the everyday life of Aquincum

The role of Roman baths in the everyday life of Aquincum

Gabriella Fényes

Abstract
The aim of my poster is to collect archaeological and epigraphical data, which give evidence about the spread of bathing habits on one of the archaeological sites on the northern border of the Roman Empire. In ancient Aquincum, in the area of today’s Budapest, twenty-five Roman baths were excavated from 1778 till 2017. The first was probably built after the first military troop arrived in Aquincum and erected its fort in the middle of the first century AD. The last was constructed when the former large military baths were rebuilt and became the palace of the commanding officer of the province at the beginning of the fourth century AD. The military played an important role in the process in which the bathing culture became widespread, which can be proved by inscriptions and other archaeological finds. Furthermore, baths were soon built in the civil town, the military town around the legionary fortress and the villas, too. The most exquisite was the private bath of the governor of the province Pannonia Inferior. In the amply watered Aquincum, the Romans found good quality springs to operate bath buildings. We can also get to know real persons by looking at some special finds. For example, one pool of the so called double baths of the civil town was covered with bricks stamped by a female building contractor. Ancient inscriptions also give us information about the users of thermal-medicinal springs. Two of them are known from other inscriptions, so we have at least some notion about the career of the user of the thermal water. Small finds from the excavated baths and the uncovered graves demonstrate Roman bathing habits. All of them reveal a lively picture of the bathing culture on a lesser-known area of the Roman Empire.
Presented by
Gabriella Fenyes <fenyes.gabriella@btm.hu>
Institution
Budapest History Museum - Aquincum Museum
Keywords
Aquincum, legionary baths, building inscriptions, bricks with stamp, graffiti
Chat with PresenterAvailable October 18th, Wednesday, 3 to 4 pm Join the Discussion Watch Presentation
Poster: The thermal complex at Starozagorski mineralni bani a new perspective on a well-known site site

The thermal complex at Starozagorski mineralni bani a new perspective on a well-known site site

Mariya Avramova

Abstract
Presented by
Mariya Avramova <avramova.m@gmail.com>
Institution
National Archaeological Institute with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Keywords
Roman thermae, thermal complex, Roman spa, Thrace, Starozagorski mineralni bani
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Poster: Assessing diachronic change in Roman waterproof lining technology Evidence from the Bay of Naples and Rome (1st c. BCE – 4th c. CE)

Assessing diachronic change in Roman waterproof lining technology Evidence from the Bay of Naples and Rome (1st c. BCE – 4th c. CE)

Rory McLennan, Duncan Keenan-Jones, Glenys McGowan

Abstract
Control of water in the ancient Mediterranean reached its zenith during the Roman empire, with Rome’s Imperial Thermae and aqueducts, representing the greatest public expenditure of water known from antiquity. Enabling these monumental structures were waterproof linings, a technology which proliferated in Italy during the Roman period. Extensive study has characterised the complex chemical reactions that gave Italian tephra-bearing terrestrial and marine concretes their renowned durability and water resistance. However, less archaeological research has prioritised understanding the wider socio-economic, environmental, and political factors that directed the development, spread and success of waterproof mortar lining technology in Roman Italy. To investigate diachronic change in ancient Italian waterproofing technology, 15 waterproof mortar samples, which were dated from the 1st century BCE – 4th century CE, and came from aqueducts, a bath, cisterns, fountains, and a pool, where collected from across the Bay of Naples, Pompeii, Oplontis and Rome. Once collected they were investigated with petrographic microscopy, digital image analysis and X-ray fluorescence mapping to identify, quantify and describe key attributes and technological trends. From this, several factors that contributed to the development and proliferation of waterproof mortar technology in ancient Italy were identified. These included the selection of specific materials by builders to suit the function of different mortar layers, the ability to incorporate aesthetically pleasing aggregates like marble chips for linings of opulent features, and a decreasing aggregate/binder ratio which allowed the mortar quality to improve through time. By analysing instrumental data with a focus on exploring how social, economic, environmental, and political factors influenced the development and proliferation of waterproofing technology, this project developed a new understanding of how specialised construction materials changed over time in ancient Italy.
Presented by
Rory McLennan
Institution
The University of Queensland, Department of Archaeology; The University of Manchester, Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology
Other Affiliations
Microscopy Australia
Keywords
Construction, Mortar, Microscopy
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Poster: Baths for all or baths for some? Pompeian baths in relation to the population

Baths for all or baths for some? Pompeian baths in relation to the population

Samuli Simelius

Abstract
This paper aims to study Pompeiian baths in relation to the population of the city and inhabitants possibility to visit the baths. The capacity of the Pompeian baths are rarely estimated, and the first tasks of the paper is to reconstruct how many visitors could visit them during a day. This is executed by creating different scenarios estimating the capacity of the Pompeian baths, including possibility that some baths remains still unexcavated. After the estimation of the capacity, it is compared the several estimations of Pompeii’s population, varying from c. 7000 to 30 000. This approximates how equally or unequally the city offered opportunity to personal hygiene. Another aim of the paper is to investigate the relation between the households of Pompeii and the bath complexes. This is executed by investigation of the Pompeian street network and using the ArcGIS Network Analysis tool to study the routes between the dwellings and the baths. Measuring the distance provides the possibility to estimate the inequality of relating to the access of baths. The approach provides new information about the experience of the connection of the bath with the cityscape. How often could Pompeians bath? Which dwellings had privileged position in relation to bathing?
Presented by
Samuli Simelius
Institution
University of Helsinki
Other Affiliations
Centre for European Studies
Keywords
Pompeii, inequality, Closest Facility, Service Area, Gini
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Poster: Orthopraxy and Cleanliness: ritual ablutions at some (but not all) Romano-Celtic temples in the North-West provinces

Orthopraxy and Cleanliness: ritual ablutions at some (but not all) Romano-Celtic temples in the North-West provinces

Anthony King

Abstract
This poster explores the relationship between bath buildings and Romano-Celtic temple sites. The presence of large-scale bathing facilities at some temple sites is well-known, e.g. Bath, Great Witcombe or Aachen, and a ritual healing/spa/bodily wellness aspect is commonly assumed. The shrines and baths are thought to be ‘clean’, and there is some evidence for a negative correlation with rituals assumed to be ‘dirty’ or unhygienic such as animal sacrifice. Sites like these are in the minority, however, compared with the large number of Romano-Celtic temples where baths have not been located. Animal sacrifice is commonly detected archaeologically at these sites, and an implication is that local orthopraxy did not require ablutions, or even specifically rejected ‘cleanliness’. This applies particularly to sites in locations that necessitated travel, pilgrimage or processions to reach them (e.g. in high or remote places, Uley, Maiden Castle), yet had no recognised bathing facilities. Did pilgrims have to carry the dust of their travelling into ceremonies at such temples, adding perhaps debris and gore from sacrifices as well? They may only have had the opportunity to be ‘clean’ once having returned to a town or villa where baths were available. Some temple sites were near water sources, typically springs and rivers (e.g. Springhead, Nettleton, Harlow) and also the sea (e.g. Jordan Hill, Hayling Island), but in most cases lacked any substantial bath buildings. Was any required ablution in the ‘natural’ source of the river or the sea, and thus linked to the orthopraxy of the temple site? The poster concludes by questioning what localised Romano-Celtic orthopraxies may have regarded as ‘clean’, whether this is a relevant category at all in the circumstances, and whether inner cultic purity was more important than the outward show of body cleanliness.
Presented by
Anthony King
Institution
School of History, Archaeology and Philosophy, University of Winchester, UK
Keywords
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Poster: Le terme pubbliche di Tarraco (Hispania citerior): i reperti scultorei

Le terme pubbliche di Tarraco (Hispania citerior): i reperti scultorei

Julio C. Ruiz

Abstract
A Tarraco (odierna Tarragona) c’erano diversi bagni pubblichi, tra i quali spicca un edificio termale presso il porto. Questo edificio fu costruito alla fine del II secolo d.C. o più probabilmente al III secolo d.C. I resti architettonici di questo edificio sono stati scoperti nel 1976. In quell’anno furono ritrovati diversi frammenti, pertinenti a una stessa statua di Apollo di dimensioni maggiori del vero . La scultura è datata all’inizio del II secolo d.C., il che ha fatto pensare che fu spostata da un edificio più antico per essere riutilizzata nelle terme. Durante lo scavo posteriore di questa area, nel 1998, sono stati rinvenuti più statue e frammenti. Molti di essi rimangono inediti, mentre alcuni sono stati pubblicati superficialmente . Lo scopo di questo lavoro è quello di far conoscere e studiare in dettaglio la totalità delle sculture ritrovate nell’area dell’edificio termale. In questo modo si intende completare gli studi su questi bagni, in particolare per quanto riguarda la loro decorazione e le motivazioni specifiche dell’erezione di sculture.
Presented by
Julio C. Ruiz
Institution
Independent Scholar
Keywords
Roman Sculpture, Tarraco, Marble
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Poster: Old buildings, new discoveries. Architectonical novelties at the healing spa of Termas de São Vicente (Penafiel, Portugal)

Old buildings, new discoveries. Architectonical novelties at the healing spa of Termas de São Vicente (Penafiel, Portugal)

GONZÁLEZ SOUTELO, Silvia (UAM/MIAS, Spain). silvia.gonzalezs@uam.es; SOEIRO, Teresa (CITCEM-FLUP, Portugal). teresasoeiro@sapo.pt; CARMONA BARRERO, Juan Diego (UAM, Spain). juandiegocarmona@gmail.com; SEARA ERLEWEIN, Claus (GEAAT-Uvigo, Spain). proyecto.sema@gmail.com

Abstract
Presented by
Silvia Gonzalez Soutelo <silvia.gonzalezs@uam.es>
Institution
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Other Affiliations
MIAS / CITCEM-FLUP / GEAAT-Uvigo
Keywords
Roman Architecture-bronze vessel-Roman Portugal-Ancient Thermalism
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Poster:

Jonas Zweifel

Abstract
This contribution examines agency in an Ostian bathing complex, the Baths of Invidiosus. Through the three main building phases of the baths, active engagement with a changing urban topography by their owner(s) is retraced. Furthermore, changes to the functioning of the water supply system are interpreted as deliberate measures counteracting a lowering of the local ground water level. The initiator(s) of these changes are thereby seen to react dynamically to a shifting accessibility of resources. The poster provides a short introduction to the building in question before exploring these specific aspects. The accompanying commented slide presentation expands on the changes to the water supply system in a little more detail and seeks to contextualize them better through 3D visualization.
Presented by
Jonas Zweifel <jonas.zweifel@fu-berlin.de>
Institution
Freie Universität Berlin
Other Affiliations
Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies Einstein Center Chronoi
Keywords
Ostia, Baths, Water, Urbanism, Agency
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Poster: Bath complexes on the border between Greece and Rome: diffusion models along the Via Ionia

Bath complexes on the border between Greece and Rome: diffusion models along the Via Ionia

Alessio Galli, Chiara Mendolia

Abstract
The diffusion of a bathing culture that integrates elements from both the Greek and the Roman tradition is a highly recognizable phenomenon in Greece during the Roman empire. The goal of this paper is to analyse a number of bath complexes (I cent. BC – III cent. AD), located along the so-called Via Ionia (also known as Via Publica Romana), that connected the most important cities of Greece’s western coast, crossing the Peloponnese, Aetolia, Acarnania and Epyrus. The role of the route will be investigated on an interregional scale in order to explain the positioning of Roman bathing instalments in different sub-regional contexts, that is to say to explain why they chose to establish certain buildings within the urban fabric rather than in a suburban or peripheral setting and vice versa. The analysis will encapsulate questions around their status, whether public or private, and on the consequent nature of their commissioning, to better understand the reasons behind such a large development in these territories under the high- and middle-imperial rule. We will highlight the relation between the proliferation of new bath complexes and the realization of massive regional infrastructures, which includes the new routes and the new water management works of the II cent. AD. Using a range of case studies that represent the diversity of sites in our dataset – a sanctuary with continuous occupation like Olympia, a new colony like Nikopolis, an Augustan refoundation like Patras and a minor centre like Alikyrna – we aim to understand the function of the thermae as a cultural medium between Rome and Greece and as a formative element for a new urban fabric.
Presented by
Alessio Galli, Chiara Mendolia
Institution
Italian Archaeological School at Athens
Keywords
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Poster: 'Balnea' privati nel paesaggio urbano di Roma e Ostia in età tardoantica. Architetti e progetti / 'Private’ baths of Rome and Ostia in Late Antiquity. Design and Architects

'Balnea' privati nel paesaggio urbano di Roma e Ostia in età tardoantica. Architetti e progetti / 'Private’ baths of Rome and Ostia in Late Antiquity. Design and Architects

Dr. Giulia Giovanetti

Abstract
‘Private’ baths of Rome and Ostia built or still in use in Late Antiquity (late 3rd-6th century) had been studied in detail. The PhD research has highlighted an architectural “koinè” and the common language that shaped and characterized design of ‘private’ baths in particularly in the 4th century. In addition to the recycling of materials and the re-use of buildings, in fact repeated elements like the sizes of rooms, design of bathtubs or entire bath plans are indication that they were constructed by the same workers or that building plans must have circulated (see Aulus Gellius (19, 10, 1-5) 'depictas in membranulis varias species balnearum').

Lo studio dei 'balnea' in età tardoantica di Roma e Ostia (III-VI secolo d.C.) ha permesso di andare oltre la conoscenza e la datazione degli edifici. È infatti possibile, grazie a una base di dati dettagliata costruita dalla ricerca, riconoscere affinità, per forma e articolazione, tra alcuni 'balnea' coevi che permettono di intravedere un linguaggio comune e gli architetti che li hanno progettati.

Presented by
Giulia Giovanetti
Institution
Ministero della Cultura
Other Affiliations
Parco archeologico del Colosseo
Keywords
Baths, Architecture, Late-Antiquity, Rome, Ostia
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Poster: Banja Bansko through time and space

Banja Bansko through time and space

Vane P. Sekulov

Abstract
There is no doubt that the thermo-mineral springs in Banja Bansko have always attracted people's attention. They thought the thermal mineral water was heavenly, nourishing, pure, and healing. People admired the spring and were aware of the power the gods gave it. Long before the 4th century BC, when the earliest coins discovered in the spring date back, people left presents in the spring to obtain the gods' favor and blessing. The cult continued in the cave sanctuary where thermo-mineral water flows and where Nymphs are worshiped. Along with their companion and leader, Hermes and Aphrodite. Erection of a Hermes temple in the second century AD served to take care of the public's bodily and mental well-being. Hermes is the patron of healing water along with Hygeia. Valeria Dionica, the chief priestess of the temple of Hermes, acted as a liaison between the populace and Hermes. Adhering to the Hippocrates' advice, the Romans settled in Banja Bansko and in the third decade of the third century, in addition to the hot springs, constructed a bath for therapeutic purposes. They used it for two centuries before the bath was abandoned during the Hun attack in 441 AD. Following this, for about a thousand years, the hot springs continued to flow without providing any human advantage and all that had been erected before was left forgotten in the earth's depths. However, the spring is still around and still uses its divine abilities to trick humans. As lovers of warm waters themselves, the Ottomans erected spas all around the spring as soon as they arrived. The bathhouse from the Roman era was found at the end of the 20th century completely by chance when they planned to build a hotel nearby.
Presented by
Vane P. Sekulov <v.p.sekulov@gmail.com>
Institution
NI Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments and Museum Strumica
Keywords
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Poster: Healing baths or how the Roman bathing culture became the cornerstone of a timeless cultural phenomenon. The particular case of Baden (Canton Aargau/Switzerland).

Healing baths or how the Roman bathing culture became the cornerstone of a timeless cultural phenomenon. The particular case of Baden (Canton Aargau/Switzerland).

Andrea Schaer, lic. phil

Abstract
Healing baths differ from «ordinary» thermae in various aspects. First of all, there is the rare and special healing waters. These waters have special natural properties such as increased temperature (thermal water), a special mineralisation and/or an increased gas content. The special nature of healing waters can be directly perceived by the senses at the point where they emerge. The spring is the place where the «miraculous» effects of the healing waters are most directly tangible. Since healing waters can only develop its full effect at the point of origin, it must also be used at the source. This means that all facilities for their use must be built directly at the source. This in contrast to urban thermae, which can be built where there is a demand (and often also a special opportunity for representation. To participate in the effect of a healing spring, people have to leave their everyday life for a certain time. At the spring visitors meet and interact with other people who go there with a similar motivation and purpose. Thus healing baths become social places whose existence is based on the coexistence of the natural resource of healing water and the appreciation of the special spring by the people. The interplay of the natural wonder of the spring and its appreciation by the people is the actual continuum of healing baths. Roman healing baths often stand at the beginning of a bathing tradition that continues to the present day.

Using the example of the spa town of Baden/Aquae Helveticae (Switzerland), the presentation shows how the Roman thermal baths are at the origin of a 2,000-year tradition, which Roman infrastructures have persisted over the centuries and where the Roman heritage continues to have an effect and is carried forward to this day.
Presented by
Andrea Schaer
Institution
Archaeokontor GmbH / University of Bern (Switzerland)
Other Affiliations
NIKE Swiss National Centre for Cultural Heritage
Keywords
Baden, thermal baths, healing baths, Roman times, Middle Ages, continuity
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Poster: The baths of the Roman town of Ocriculum

The baths of the Roman town of Ocriculum

Giacomo Antonelli

Abstract
The 2nd century AD baths of Ocriculum are the most beautiful and representative building of the ancient Roman town. They can be considered rightly as the joining link between Hadrianic and Severan architecture relatively new examples of roofing, but also they are definitely a unicum in the Roman architectonical scenery. They are the only public building in Ocriculum of which the commissioner is known, L. Iulius Iulianus, patronus municipi like his two sons, the homonymous L. Iulius Iulianus and L. Iulius Lucilianus. He had also a daughter Iulia Lucilia who was honoured with a statue from the community placed in the baths (CIL XI, 4090) like all her family members over mentioned. Probably every member of this family was involved in the construction or enlargement or restoration of the baths still in 2nd century AD. This building is famous for the polychrome mosaic coming from the octagonal hall and which is now displayed in the Round Hall of the Vatican Museum. But the vaulting of both the octagonal and the round hall, the only two rooms preserved, are the real flagship of Ocriculum. Unique in the whole Roman world, they are cross vaults with an odd number of elements and they have an unusual relation between wall thickness and dome weight and between different perimetral shapes. Specialized workermen from imperial construction sites certainly worked in this small but wealthy Umbrian municipium on the Via Flaminia. Near this building there must have been another bath building, the so-called thermae hiemales, the only known Italian case of an already rare architectural typology. We don’t know if they were completely distinct form the thermae Iulianae or if they were just part of them, but they were maintained and restored till the 4th/5th century, when probably all the other city monuments were being neglected and new religious building were being built.
Presented by
Giacomo Antonelli
Institution
Independent researcher
Keywords
Ocriculum, bath building, ancient topography, architectural survey, 3D reconstruction
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Poster: Bathing Practices and Political Inadequacy in 6th century Constantinople: John Lydus’ account of the praetorian prefect John the Cappadocian

Bathing Practices and Political Inadequacy in 6th century Constantinople: John Lydus’ account of the praetorian prefect John the Cappadocian

Giordana Franceschini

Abstract
This poster provides an account on the bathing experience as a defamatory motif within John Lydus’ De magistratibus populi romani. The author, an employee of the Eastern Praetorian Prefecture in Constantinople (512-552 AD), discusses the debauched bathing practices of Justinian’s praetorian prefect John the Cappadocian, resorting to them as tools for slander him in an account of the official’s activities. The analysis of two excerpts, Lyd., Mag. II 21 and III 62, reveals how the bathing experience, from the very layout of the building to the prefect’s habits, shapes the portrayal of the unworthy official:

- Chapter II 21 accounts the changes in the prefecture’s building: after turning the original bathing hall into a stable for his horses, John the Cappadocian reserved the upper floor to himself. There, he had a bathtub hanged “in the air”: the water used to flow through a system forcing “the natural course of the water to an irregular height”1. These extravagances were perceived as moral degeneration. Anyone passing through the entrance could have witnessed the prefect’s unsuitability once he found himself in front of a stable (where traditionally there was a bathroom) and a bathtub hanging from the ceiling.

- Chapter III 62 shows the prefect’s habit of bathing together with young boys and prostitutes: in addition to greed and gluttony, the official was also guilty of this “immoderate” behaviour. Bathing is a traditional activity ascribed to the healthy Roman aristocrat, who nonetheless uses the bathing experience to receive clients or to discuss business: Lydus’ emphasis on bathing improper practices as symptom of political inadequacy is an interesting insight into 6th century Constantinopolitan ideology.
Presented by
Giordana Franceschini <giordana.franceschini@histsem.uni-tuebingen.de>
Institution
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Keywords
Late Antiquity, Justinian I, John Lydus, Sixth Century, Bathing, Praetorian Prefect, John the Cappadocian
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Poster: From Nysa to Centumcellae: Alkibiades visits the Terme Taurine

From Nysa to Centumcellae: Alkibiades visits the Terme Taurine

Jens Koehler

Abstract
In the ancient Roman healing spa ‘Terme Taurine’ at Civitavecchia, Italy, a marble votive altar for the nymphs was discovered 100 years ago. The inscription in Greek allows to date the ex-voto to the time of Hadrian and to identify the donator Alkibiades, a high-ranking man from Nysa in Asia minor. The inscription offers us insights into the governmental élites’ international relations and spa tourism in a philhellene Roman world.
Presented by
Jens Koehler
Institution
John Cabot University, Rome, and The American University of Rome
Other Affiliations
Frontinus Society
Keywords
healing spas, Civitavecchia, epigraphy
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Poster: Roman villa baths in the Middle Danube provinces

Roman villa baths in the Middle Danube provinces

Tünde Lang

Abstract
The poster examines the villa baths in the provinces of Noricum, Pannonia, Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior. In the territory of the Roman Empire the baths were built for public, military and private purposes. The villa baths were private baths.
Presented by
Tünde Lang <langtunde100@gmail.com>
Institution
University of Pécs Department of Ancient History
Other Affiliations
Brigetio Öröksége Látogatóközpont
Keywords
Roman baths, Roman villas, Middle Danube provinces
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