Sudatorium

Sudatorium in Xanten

A sudatorium (from Latin sudare 'sweat' ) or concamerata sudatio (after Vitruvius ) referred to a steam sweat bath in ancient thermal baths .

It is comparable to today's saunas . The term is still used today for steam baths in Roman-Irish baths.

A hypocaust system in the floor heated the air. The stones were moistened by a perfusor (steam pourer), which was mostly a slave . The steam left the room through an opening in the roof. Since the floor got very hot, it was found that wooden clogs had to be carried.

A special form of the steam bath was the Laconicum (also Lakonium , from Latin Lacedaemonius Spartan). It was so named because it was supposedly the only form of warm bath accepted by the Spartans. It was a semicircular alcove or circular room. In addition to the underfloor heating, there was usually a brazier in the room. In the middle there was a shallow basin with water ( labrum ) from which the bather sprinkled himself.

See also

• Caldarium

literature

• Erika Brödner: The Roman thermal baths and the ancient baths. A cultural-historical consideration. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1983, ISBN 3-534-08783-6
• Werner Heinz: Roman thermal baths. Bathing and bathing luxury in the Roman Empire. Hirmer, Munich 1983, ISBN 3-7774-3540-6

Web links

Wiktionary: Sudatorium  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Information also on the current use of the term ( Memento of the original from December 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ Short article on the sudatorium in a sauna dictionary
3. ↑ Sudatorium . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 26 : Submarine Mines - Tom-Tom . London 1911, p. 19 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).