The arrangements of this bath are in a better state of preservation
than those of any other Roman bath yet discovered; the tank and
reservoir with the connecting pipes may now be seen at Pompeii in the
little Museum near the Forum fitted up for the exhibition of the
objects found in this villa. The bath rooms comprised an apodyterium
(_D_), a tepidarium (_E_), and a caldarium (_F_) with a bath basin at
one end and a labrum in a semicircular recess at the other. The bath
was heated from a small furnace room (_C_). Over the hot air flue
leading from the furnace into the hollow space under the floor of the
caldarium was a water heater in the form of a half cylinder similar to
the one found in the Stabian Baths (p. 194). The tepidarium, as well
as the caldarium, had a hollow floor and walls.
Over the furnace stood a round lead tank, the lower part of which was
encased in masonry; the pipes connecting it with the reservoir in the
corner of the kitchen and with the bath rooms were found in place,
and are shown in Fig. 185. The middle pipe supplied the tank with cold
water; the flow could be regulated by means of a stopcock. The lower
pipe started from the reservoir, but before reaching the tank was
divided, the left arm leading into the tank, the other into the bath
basin. As there were stopcocks in the main pipe and in the arm
entering the tank, by adjusting these the bath basin could be supplied
with either hot or cold water through a single pipe. The upper pipe
was divided in the same way, one arm leading to the labrum. In the
public baths there was a separate tank for lukewarm water; here a
moderate temperature was obtained by mixing hot and cold water.
At the bottom of the tank (seen at the right) is a short bibcock used
when the water was drawn off. On the side of the reservoir we see the
end of the feed pipe leading from the reservoir in the court; at the
right is a supply pipe which conducted to the stable (_H_) water not
needed for the bath.
On the same side of the court is a tool room (_J_), in which were
found remains of tools; several sickles were hanging on the walls.
Next are two sleeping rooms (_K_, _L_); a passage between them leads
to the bakery, with a single mill (1) and oven (2). In the corner is a
dining room (_N_) in which the remains of three couches were found; it
was separated from the court by an anteroom (_M_).
Over the colonnade on the front side of the court was a sleeping room
with a large room adjoining, perhaps the bedroom of the overseer,
_villicus_, which, according to Varro should be near the entrance.
The oblong room at the northeast side of the court contained
appliances for making wine. At each end was a large press with a
raised floor (_forum_, 1). The presses were operated on the same
principle as that previously described (p. 336, Fig. 168).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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