The Hindu Business Line : Veni, vidi... wash!

Clean fun: The Roman Baths in the English city of Bath are built around three mineral-rich hot springs; (left) Jane Austen’s house is an equally famous tourist spot in the city.

Paromita Pain

It’s easy to imagine a gaggle of toga-clad people chatting up each other while soaking luxuriously in the warm water... the stillness, the water’s greenness and the brown of the surrounding changing rooms appear straight out of a Renaissance painting. We are at the famous Roman Baths in the English city of Bath.

The Romans, who fought fierce wars and built a powerful empire, loved their creature comforts too. They even made bathing a fashion statement.

And the hot springs at Bath, the only one of its kind in Britain, inspired them to build a temple dedicated to bathing.

The Aquae Sulis, as the Romans called it, has three hot springs. The main one is dedicated to Sulis Minerva (god of healing). Water at 46 degrees Celsius has been bubbling its way to the surface from underground for thousands of years now. The mineral-rich water was believed to contain healing properties. The place was fitted with all manner of luxury and the Romans used bath time to socialise.

Now and then

Several new constructions, reconstruction and a lot of destruction at the hands of time have shaped the Roman Baths as we see them today. What strikes at first sight is the large terrace with statues of various governors of the province and other British generals, which immediately underlines the fact that these are later constructs, added as the city grew.

Superb drainage

The warm reception at the ticket counter might distract you from the wonderful artwork adorning the ceiling here. It’s certainly not to be missed.

As you walk in and the warm sunlight slowly peters away, the misty dampness of the interiors envelops you. Bathing sure was more complex than just splashing around in a pool, if the Romans are to be believed. The drainage mechanism ensured that the waters were recycled and, of course, catered well to the many who travelled from far in the hope of washing away disease, disfigurement and pain.

The plumbing works well to this day and the water flows either into the Great Bath or into the Avon River.

The roof built over the stone tank around the main spring or the Great Bath collapsed somewhere around the 6th century. This area is now enclosed and we can view it only through a glass wall.

Bathing aids

On the walls are mounted glass cases containing grooming equipment the Romans used. Chief among these is the ‘strigil’, a curved metal tool. As the Romans didn’t use soap, they would rub a great deal of olive oil into their skin and gradate from the steam baths to the warm temperatures till they sweated so much that the slaves found it easy to remove all the oil and dirt using a strigil.

An impressive array of hair ornaments catches attention. As it was a temple and people dedicated offerings to Sulis Minerva, the place abounds with large trays, big basins and ladles. One can easily imagine that the containers were, in reality, large pots of beauty potions — a bit like our economy jars of face creams and packs — rather than pious dedications.

No spook

Sadly for a place so steeped in history there is no “resident ghost”. No ghostly ripples on the green waters disturb its carpet-like serenity. No wandering soul jumps out from behind the statues to shake hands with awestruck visitors with an amiable “How d’you do?”

It’s also clear that these Baths were not just about massages, oils and warm water. The best, and likely the most therapeutic, part are the curse stones. These tiny tablets probably doubled as therapists in the days of yore, for they were all about expressing feelings, usually deeply negative ones.

Anyone who had a score to settle, a lost item to report or a grievance to air wrote them, along with their choice of punishment to be meted out to the guilty party, on pieces of pewter or lead and dropped them into the pools.

Sample this one: “May he who has stolen Vilbia from me become as liquid as water…”

Written, often backwards so that only the goddess could read them, they express deep venom without inhibition. Of course, the simple belief being that the rival, thief or annoying person would suffer the way of the curse, thereby proving crime. From the awesome number of coins, lead and pewter discovered, it’s clear that Sulis Minerva wore her hat as healer and personal psychiatrist with élan.

The relics

Of the original temple only three steps remain. Of the original statue of Sulis Minerva only the head covered in gold leaf has been found. Around these healing streams grew the city of Bath.

In time the Roman Baths collapsed, only to be preserved behind glass cases for generations to marvel at. Its popularity is only rivalled by that of Jane Austen’s house in the city’s Gay Street. Who wins in this toss-up between the ancient Romans and the best of literati from the Victorian age?

You don’t choose — you simply visit both.

Visit romanbaths.co.uk for more information.

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