Caracalla Baths
The Baths of Caracalla ( Latin Thermae Antoninianae ) are ancient bathing facilities in Rome . Along with the Baths of Diocletian and the Baths of Trajan, they are among the largest thermal baths in Rome.
History of the thermal baths
The construction of the Caracalla Baths was probably started in 206 under Septimius Severus and completed in 216 under Emperor Caracalla . To supply the thermal baths, water was passed through a branch of the Aqua Marcia , the so-called Aqua Marcia Antoniniana . They were in the XII. regio Piscina Publica , a district of Rome that was particularly adorned with magnificent public buildings at this time. Further additions, such as arcades and decorations, were carried out under the emperors Elagabal and Severus Alexander , so that the complex was not really completed until 235 AD. Since the complex was located on the outskirts of Rome in the rather poor area, it can be assumed that it was built to increase the popularity of the emperors with the plebs . Together with the Baths of Diocletian , it was one of the public and free bathing palaces.
A fire broke out under Emperor Aurelian . The thermal baths were then renovated. Diocletian had the aqueduct , which was named Forma Iova and which fed the system with water, expanded. Finally, Emperor Constantine had an apse built into the caldarium , which is attested by an inscription. It is known from literary sources that the thermal baths were still in operation in the 5th century. Theodoric the Great , who ruled Rome from 493 to 526 as Ostrogothic king, had it restored again. This was the last known construction work on the Caracalla Baths. Polemius Silvius counted them among the seven wonders of Rome.
In 537 the Ostrogoths destroyed the aqueduct during the siege of Rome, which ended bathing. In 847 there was some destruction due to an earthquake, after which rain, heat and frost attacked the walls and interior fittings. From the 12th century at the latest, the thermal baths served as a quarry. Nevertheless, they were considered to be the best preserved thermal baths until the Renaissance and were given detailed construction plans by Andrea Palladio and Anonymus Destailleur , among others .
In the 16th century, the Farnese family , especially Pope Paul III. Farnese, remove a large part of the marble furnishings and sculptures in order to decorate the Palazzo Farnese and St. Peter . Systematic excavations began in 1824 under Count Girolamo Egidio di Velo , who mainly examined the central structure and found the mosaic with the athletes. The motorcycle chase in the film Dealer Connection - The Road of Heroin by director Enzo G. Castellari was shot in 1977 in the thermal baths. Nowadays the Rome Opera hosts open-air opera performances here.
investment
The thermal baths measured about 337 × 328 meters. The original area on which the thermal baths are located was very uneven. For the construction of the thermal baths, a huge platform first had to be created to bridge the height differences between the Aventine hill on one side and the Camemae valley on the other. Three terraces were created for this. There are therefore massive brick arches towards the valley, while towards the Aventine there are walls that support the platform against the Aventine. Adjoining rooms have been created under the brick arches. The water supply was secured by the Aqua Nova Antoniniana , a branch of the Aqua Marcia .
The main building in the center of the complex is 214 × 110 m. The round caldarium protrudes on the southern long side and smaller exedra on the short sides.
The main entrances to the actual thermal baths are in the north and lead to the Natatio , a large swimming pool. The room is 50 × 22 m and was once over 20 m high. The northern facade was divided into three parts by monumental granite columns. In each of these three segments there were six niches, three in the lower part of the wall, three in the upper part. There were certainly statues here once. In the lower niches you can still see water pipes that supplied the pool with water.
To the left and right of it are the changing rooms ( apodyterium ). They are decorated with simple black and white geometric mosaics. There is a palaestra on the short side of the thermal baths, which can be reached directly from the changing rooms. They are still decorated with simple but multicolored geometric mosaics. Red, green and two light tones alternate here. The stones used are serpentine and giallo antico . This mosaic is so far unique of its kind. There is an exedra on each side of the palaestra. These were each decorated with a polychrome athlete mosaic. There were once figurative black and white mosaics on the upper floor of the palaces. The once 300 m long mosaic shows nereids, tritons, dolphins and other marine life. The mosaic is framed by a pattern that shows pairs of dolphins.
In the center of the facility is the frigidarium (cold bath). It is a 58 × 24 m large hall that was once spanned by three cross vaults. The vaults again rested on eight columns made of gray, Egyptian granite that stood on the walls. The floor was covered with marble slabs in Opus sectile . The walls also had a marble plinth, of which a few remains have been preserved. Here, too, there were wall niches for statues, which may have been decorated with mosaics. There are four rooms around the frigidarium, which were probably saunas ( sudatorium ).
The caldarium was crowned by a 35.08 m wide dome made of light clay hollow bodies , the largest dome of this type in the world at that time. No major dome of this type has yet been built. It rested on eight walled pilasters. The floor of the caldarium was once completely covered with marble, the walls between the pillars were pierced by glass windows.
In addition to a few swimming pools and gardens, the thermal baths housed gymnastics and meeting rooms, libraries and various service providers such as hairdressers. The thermal baths could accommodate up to 2000 bathers daily.
The water supply and drainage were considered technically perfect. The heating system of the facility ( Latin hypocaustum ) was also perfectly ingenious: hot air was fed into all rooms as well as underfloor and pool heating via clay pipes. For this purpose, more than a hundred slaves were busy lighting huge stoves under the thermal baths. Up to 10 tons of wood had to be delivered every day just to load the 49 ovens under the caldarium. The bathing operation was maintained by a system of underground rooms, access tunnels and canals, which together were over 6 km long. They were spread over three separate levels. On top of the first stood the firing systems that heated the hypocausts of the walls, floors and pools. On the second level were the water tanks for the permanent supply of fresh water, on the third level the waste water was disposed of.
Furnishing
Even ancient authors described the complex as eximias et magnificentissimas . Aelius Spartianus, the author of the Vita des Caracalla in the Historia Augusta, mentions the warm bath room (referred to in the text as cella solaris , meaning the caldarium), the dome of which was admired by contemporary architects. In this context, reinforced concrete is mentioned for the first time in history :
“(4) On buildings in Rome he left the outstanding thermal baths named after him, whose warm bathing room, according to the judgment of the architects, cannot be achieved in this perfection by imitation. (5) There should be a framework made of bronze or copper, on which the entire arch rests, the span being so large that competent engineers declare this type of construction to be impracticable. ""
The bathroom was richly decorated with marble, mosaics and statues. The facility had at least 252 columns. Sixteen of them were taller than twelve meters. It has been calculated that there were at least 120 statues in the thermal baths. These were placed in the niches that were in the walls of almost every room. The architectural jewelry must have been just as rich, although it was mostly only found in fragments. This includes figural capitals and decorated friezes. Different types of marble have been used, such as those from the Greek island of Marmara , but also Parian, Thai and Lunar marble. Other types of stone such as granite , porphyry or serpentine were also used. Most of the sculptures from all the thermal baths have been preserved from the Caracalla thermal baths, although a large part of the former equipment certainly ended up in lime kilns. The Farnesian bull probably originated in the eastern Palestra . The group of statues from a single block was around 1546/47 during excavations by Pope Paul III. discovered. It shows the punishment of Dirce . Another important statue that comes from the frigidarium shows the resting Hercules.
Bathtub from the Baths of Caracalla, Vatican Museums
Mosaic frieze from the Baths of Caracalla, Vatican Museums
Mosaic frieze from the Baths of Caracalla
The Farnese Bull
The statue of Hercules Farnese was originally located in the thermal baths
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See also
literature
- Janet DeLaine: The baths of Caracalla. A study in the design, construction and economics of large-scale building projects in Imperial Rome (= Journal of Roman Archeology . Supplementary Series Volume 25). JRA, Portsmouth 1997, ISBN 1-887829-25-3 .
- Heinz-Joachim Fischer : Rome. Two and a half millennia of history, art and culture of the Eternal City. DuMont, Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-7701-5607-2 , pp. 318-320.
- Anton Henze: Art Guide Rome. Reclam, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-15-010402-5 , pp. 131-133.
- Marina Piranomonte: The Baths of Caracalla (guide). Rome 2008, ISBN 978-88-370-6303-0 .
- Christian Hülsen : Antoninianaethermae . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 2, Stuttgart 1894, Col. 2567 f.
Web links
- Official site (Italian)
- Baths of Caracalla in the Arachne archaeological database
- Article in Platner / Ashby, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (1929)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Marina Piranomonte: The Baths of Caracalla (guide). Rome 2008, ISBN 978-88-370-6303-0 , p. 7
- ↑ a b City Guide Rome (Engl.)
- ↑ Erika Brödner: The Roman thermal baths and the ancient bathing system. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1983, p. 222.
- ↑ Marina Piranomonte: The Baths of Caracalla (guide). Rome 2008, ISBN 978-88-370-6303-0 , p. 8.
- ↑ Erwin Heinle, Jörg Schlaich: Domes of all times, of all cultures , Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-421-03062-6 , p. 27
- ↑ Historia Augusta , Caracalla 9.4f.
- ↑ Marina Piranomonte: The Baths of Caracalla (guide). Rome 2008, ISBN 978-88-370-6303-0 , p. 19.
- ↑ Marina Piranomonte: The Baths of Caracalla (guide). Rome 2008, ISBN 978-88-370-6303-0 , p. 51.
Competition venues for the 1960 Summer Olympics
Coordinates: 41 ° 52 ′ 45 " N , 12 ° 29 ′ 34" E