Plan of a Roman Bath House (UEB uncontracted)
Synopsis
The image shows a plan of a typical Roman Bath House. There is a locator dot shown, which will be at the top left when the image is the correct way up.The entrance to the Bath House (aditus) is in the bottom right of the page. It is a small area with a door to the changing room (apodyterium) on the left. To the top right of the changing room is a door to a small storeroom. This is where the aromatic oils used in the bath house would be kept. To the top left of the changing room is a door to a small lobby area (vestibule) which is an entrance way into the baths from the changing rooms. Left from here is the cool room (frigidarium) with a cold pool. Up from the cool room is the warm room (tepidarium). There is a tepid pool here. To the right of this is a hot but normally dry room (laconicum). Up from the warm room is another hot room (caldarium), this time with a hot pool. This room usually has a cold fountain (labrum) as well. The water from the fountain is used to splash on the face for refreshment. Right from here is another hot room (alveus) with really hot baths. Not all bath houses have this type of room. Right from here is the furnace room (Praefurnium). This is where the fires to heat the rooms and baths are. There is a door into the room from the outside in the top left of the room. Notice that the nearer a room is to the furnace room the hotter it and its water is. Hot air is circulated under the floor and into wall cavities via channels (hypocausts), so the nearer a room is to the furnace the hotter this air will be. Only the three hot rooms have hot air wall spaces.