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One of my favorite sites from our England trip was the Roman Baths in Bath. The museum is excellent especially when accompanied by the audio guide that lets you select which displays you want to hear more about.
The visit begins on a 19th century terrace lined with sculptures that look Roman, but it turned out they were 19th century, too. This terrace looks over the Great Bath.
The Great Bath from the terrace
On the terrace above the Great Bath, looking toward Bath Abbey
From there, we move inside to a variety of interesting displays and recovered parts of ancient buildings that once stood in the complex. A building devoted to helping the sick was dedicated to the moon goddess Luna, who sent healing dreams.
Luna was the moon goddess of ancient Rome, one of several gods and goddesses honored at this site.
Eventually we reached the level of the Great Bath. This quote was on the wall:
The picture is not complete without some quarrelsome fellow, a thief caught in the act, or the man who loves the sound of his own voice in the bath – not to mention those who jump in with a tremendous splash. ~Seneca, Epistulae Morales, 56, 1st century AD
The corner where the water enters the Great Bath from the hot spring
A pipe fed the tub below, bypassing the Great Bath, so that it got the hottest water.
The Roman version of a hot tub, complete with steps and a bench
From a sign:
The Sacred Spring rises at the heart of the site. It was a place of veneration for local people before the Romans came. Its sacred pool is where the spirit of the Goddess dwelt and the hot waters were used by the Romans to supply the baths. They had completed the first baths and temple buildings around the Sacred Spring by 76 AD.
Here’s a short video showing the water bubbling up in the spring:
http://www.joyweesemoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/20140912_england_joy_072.mp4I hope you enjoyed this virtual visit to the Roman Baths in Bath. I’ll link it to Saturday Snapshot at West Metro Mommy Reads tomorrow.
Check back tomorrow — for Weekend Cooking, I’ll report on the tea we had in the Pump Room after our tour of the Roman Baths.
