Database: Terme di Caracalla

Built between 212 and 216 during the reign of Emperor Caracalla, these public baths remained in use until the mid-6th century. The process of bathing was an elaborate one. A typical Roman male began in the hot bath, moved to a tepid bath, jumped into cold water and then finished in an outdoor pool, all of which allowed the older men visiting the baths ample time for ogling.

Caracalla had more than just water sports, the larger leisure complex housed an extensive library with equal amounts of Greek and Latin text as well as an extensive gymnasium. In 537, the Baths were sacked by the Goths, and had their hydraulic instillations destroyed, rendering them useless.