The Baths of Caracalla in Rome
The Terme di Caracalla (the Baths of Caracalla ) is a landmark in Rome that impresses with its scale and antiquity. Giant stone blocks, set against the pine trees of the Via Appia and lush greenery, were the center of the city’s social life at the dawn of our era. In modern times, the bath complex serves the arts, becoming a stage for the Roman Opera.
Table of Contents:
1. History
1.1. Excavations
1.2. Modern Life – Roman Opera House
2. Description
2.1. Plan
2.2.How to Get There
The Baths of Caracalla History
By the first century B.C. Rome had major problems with water supply and basic cleanliness, which did not prevent the city from becoming a model of cleanliness. High-ranking official Marcus Agrippa spent enormous sums of money to build aqueducts that brought the purest spring water to the capital.
Along with canals, fountains and water pipes, baths began to appear in Rome, and for a long time visiting them was the prerogative of the rich and powerful. In the baths there was not only cleansing of the body, but also meetings at a high level, adjusted to the informal atmosphere.
Emperor Caracalla (Latin: Septimius Caracalla), son of Septimius Severus, decided in the 3rd century AD to endow the Italian capital with a bath complex of colossal proportions. Construction of the baths began in 206 AD, with construction to last 11 years. By 217, the builders had developed 11 hectares of Roman land between the hills of Celio and Aventinus. The Baths of Caracalla were cyclopean in size, the courtyard: 400×400 meters, the main bath complex: 150×200 meters, and were designed for 1500 visitors.
The baths were located in the most prestigious area of Rome, although their main clientele lived in the neighboring middle-class districts. There were several elite complexes at the service of august persons, politicians and nobles: the baths of Agrippa (Terme di Agrippa). Terme di Agrippa was built so well and efficiently that by the 5th century A.D. it was considered another wonder of the world on a par with the pyramids of Egypt.
After two and a half centuries, the baths in Rome became a great success. The triumph of the building ended with the fall of the Roman Empire. In the middle of the 6th century, frequent raids by the eastern Goths rendered the aqueduct feeding the baths unusable. Over time, the buildings fell into disrepair, and the vacant land partially became the city’s cemetery. Some of the plots were used for agriculture.
Excavations
The neglected baths were rediscovered in the 16th century. Serious archaeological work on this corner of Rome began in the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century in the ruins of the baths was discovered extensive mitrium, a place of worship of the ancient deity Mitra.
Modern Times – Roman Opera House
In the summer of 1937, the mayor of Rome, Piero Colonna, ordered the historical and archaeological complex to be given to the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. A vast outdoor stage, an amphitheater for 20,000 spectators and impressive scenery breathed a second life into the Baths of Caracalla. The summer theater season at the baths was interrupted for the duration of World War II, as well as in the 1990s of the 20th century. Since 2001, after 10 years of restoration work, the complex has been serving the arts once again.
The Baths of Caracalla Description
The main building of the Baths of Caracalla was luxuriously decorated: marble on the outside, more expensive marble slabs, bronze frames, and skillful imitation glass on the windows. The entrance to the building is marked by two tall towers-exedras, well preserved to this day. In addition to the services directly related to the baths and baths, the baths included an extensive library.
It is noteworthy that the Baths of Caracalla had at its disposal a stadium for various kinds of entertainment performances. It was possible to enjoy the spectacles without leaving the baths. Also at the Baths of Caracalla there was a gymnastic school for boys, called in the ancient Greek manner Palestra (Greek Παλαίστρα).
Plan
The water supply system of the baths originated from the Acqua Marcia spring. A specially designed aqueduct brought clean water to the vaulted system of the baths, where it was heated and distributed among the bathing rooms. The rooms were built according to one of the following types:
- frigidarium (Latin frigidarium) – walled rooms without a roof, where visitors cooled down after hot treatments;
- tepidarium (Latin tepidarium) – a room with hot dry air (about 450), analogous to a sauna;
- caldarium (Latin caldarium) – a large room with a pool of warm water in the center. The caldarium in the Baths of Caracalla had a diameter of about 35 meters, and was decorated with a number of columns supporting the roof;
- small rooms for individual baths
The building of the baths in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD was richly decorated with mosaics depicting the exploits of various athletes and sportsmen. Fragments of the mosaic floor were discovered by archaeologists in the 19th century and are now in the Lateran Museum. Evidence has been found that the baths themselves acted as an exhibition hall in their heyday. Famous exhibits in the Vatican and Naples museums, such as the statue of Apollo of Belvedere, the Farnese bull, and sculptures from ancient Rome, once adorned the emperors’ rest rooms in the baths.
How to Get to the Baths of Caracalla
- Address: Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
- By metro: line B, stop Circo Massimo.
- Buses: Via Terme di Caracalla is served by routes # 118, 160, 628, 671, 714; Via Baccelli is served by route 160
- You can also order a cab or rent a car.
- Ticket prices: for opera and ballet the ticket price varies from 20 to 100 euros; the ticket price for celebrity concerts will be higher, from 70 to 250 euros, depending on the status of the performer.
- The official website of the theater: www.operaroma.it
- Opening hours: daily, opening at 9:00 and closing by the end of daylight hours (in winter at 16:30, in spring at 17:00-17:30, in summer at 19:30, in autumn at 19:00-18:30).
- The cost of a combined ticket to visit the Baths of Caracalla, Villa Quintilii and the Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella: 6 euros full, 3 euros discounted.
- The official website of the historical site: https://www.coopculture.it/
