A remarkable discovery in Pompeii is yielding new insights into the luxurious lives led by its elite just before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The archaeologists have unearthed one of the largest, best-preserved private thermal bath complexes ever found, buried under volcanic rock and ash for more than 2,000 years. This luxury spa—elegant with hot, warm, and cold rooms, one huge plunge pool, and thermal mosaic decoration—is part of an enormous private residential villa situated in Regio IX.
It is believed that the thermal bath complex belonged to the vast domus of a rich owner, probably a member of the élite. According to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, this may well be the largest thermal complex ever discovered in a private home in Pompeii. “It was an opportunity to show the wealth in which they lived and also to have a nice thermal treatment,” Zuchtriegel told the Associated Press. The thermal baths were designed to host up to 30 people, enabling the owner to host feasts, spend time in this area of leisure, and impress guests.
This complex is well thought out, comprising three principal rooms: the hot room (caldarium), the warm room (tepidarium), and the cold room (frigidarium). They were entered consecutively: first into the caldarium, filled with hot water; then through the tepidarium, where they would rub oils into their skin; and ultimately, the frigidarium cooled them off.
It also includes a beautifully decorated changing room (apodyterium) with a fabulous mosaic floor. These baths served not just the purpose of hygiene for the personal use of citizens but also acted as places of social interaction, political maneuvering, and possibly the securing of business deals or political support.
In Roman society, where public and private life often intertwined, such generosity in hosting feasts or simply receiving guests in such palatial spaces would have been a clever way for the wealthy to confirm their social standing.
“Everything was functional to staging a ‘spectacle,’ with the owner himself at the center,” said Zuchtriegel. All this is further confirmed by the connection of the thermal bath complex with a nearby banquet hall, with frescoes illustrating themes from the Trojan War, of a particularly theatrical character. Greek culture and leisure would thus be evoked by the house layout and its decoration, underlining the host’s cultural finery and material wealth.
These excavations have unearthed not only the thermal complex but also the large peristyle, a colonnaded garden that once occupied much of the property. The house surely could be used to entertain guests en masse, with rooms in the Second and Third Styles of Roman fresco painting.
The thermal bath complex, with its well-preserved frescoes and mosaics, offers a rare peek into the lives of Pompeii’s wealthy elite, who carefully curated their homes to impress and influence others.
More information: The Archaeological Park of Pompeii
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