Terme di Caracalla and more

Le Terme di Caracalla (The Baths of Caracalla) were built the early part of the 3rd century AD by emperor of the same name, who murdered his brother to become achieve his title. They were in operation for the better part of three centuries, until the invading goths cut off the water flow of the aqueducts in the 6th century. Roman baths were not a place solely for cleaning, they were a full service fitness center, library, out door sporting complex and social center all rolled into one. A Roman could spend the entire day here (they normally only spent half the day). One could start by getting some exercise wrestling, running, or boxing, from there move to the actually bathing section to clean off, brush up on Plato or Plautus in one of the two libraries (one for Greek texts and one for Latin ones) and then talk some business in a slightly less formal setting then the Forum nearby.

While baths did serve all these functions, they were built primarily for bathing, and that is were their architectural aspects come into play. Romans took their bathing very seriously, no two minute showers on the way to work. There were three rooms that one progressed through, starting in the frigidarium (cold room), moving then to the tepidarium (warm) and then to the caldarium (hot). These rooms were heated by an ingenious system of pipes that ran underneath the whole complex and, if laid in a straight line, would have stretched almost ten miles.

To put the size of this complex in perspective here are a few numbers lifted from Wikipedia:

Principal dimensions
Precinct maximum: 412x393M
Internal: 323x323M
Central Block overall: 218x112M
Swimming Pool: 54x23M
Frigidarium: 59x24M height c. 41M
Caldarium: 35M diameter height c. 44M
Internal courts: 67x29M

Quantities of materials
Pozzolanna: 341,000 Cu. M
Quick lime: 35,000 Cu. M
Tufa: 341,000 Cu. M
Basalt for foundations: 150,000 Cu. M
Brick pieces for facing: 17.5 million
Large Bricks: 520,000
Marble columns in Central block: 252
Marble for columns and decorations: 6,300 Cu. M

Estimated average labour figures on site
Excavation: 5,200 men
Substructure: 9,500 men
Central Block: 4,500 men
Decoration: 1,800 men

Walking through the complex today one can still see the general layout and certainly get a sense of the grand scale on which they were built. The thing that is hard to picture is the unbelievable amount of decoration that would have covered every inch of the interior. There are a few pieces of mosaics strewn about the grounds and a few patches of floor still intact, but they must be less than one-thousandth of that was there originally. These were certainly built by the emperor as a way to show off his wealth, and it would have been hard not to enter the complex and be impressed.

A few other interesting facts about the complex:
They served 1,600 Romans everyday.
Two of the massive bathtubs can still be seen today, but not on site, they make up the fountains in Piazza Farnese.
In the 12th century 22 columns were removed and used in the nave of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
They heavily influenced the design of Penn Station in New York.
The site was the only one in Rome damaged by the earthquake in L'Aquila (only slightly).


Massive pillars that supported the roof over the main hall.

The hallway that connected all three bathing sections.

In the summer the baths serve an entirely different purpose, they become Rome's grandest theater setting. Through the months of July and August performances take place four or five nights a week, most are operas, but there are also some ballets. Friday night I was lucky enough to see Felix Mendelssohn's take on A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The show began at 9:00 and with sunset a little before that the sky was still pretty light when we arrived, but by the time the show started, only 10 minutes or so late, the sky had turned to that azure blue tint that artists strove to mimic by grinding up precious lapis lazuli. The sunset to the east (left of the stage) left a hint of purple in sky as well.



Shortly after the opening scene the sky had gone dark, it was a muggy Roman evening with clouds obscuring all but the most ambitious stars. They production itself was interesting. I was doubtful at first of how Shakespeare would go over without any words, like the Sistine Chapel in black and white. I was pleasantly surprised however. Midsummer Night's Dream in particular lends itself to ballet and music through the many instances of confusion and hilarity. Lover's playing tug-of-war with each other limbs was a common occurrence. The scene below is when the lovers have first been doused, incorrectly, with Oberon's love potion and are confused chasing after one another. To add to the laughter of the crowd, three seagulls flew over head at this exact moment laughing a loud at the scene below them.



Melissa knows considerably more about dance than I and had a few comments about the imprecision of the Italian dancers, she felt if they were French things would have been smoother. After she made the comment I agreed and sort of saw what she meant, although I don't know that I would have noticed myself.



The most powerful impression of that one takes away from seeing a performance here is the sharp contrast between the massive buildings looming behind the stage and the grace of the dancers on stage in front. Melissa commented on the gravitas of the ruins and the delicate wooden set on the stage, yet another point of contrast. Looking back a few days later I agree with both of these as interesting ideas, but what left the greatest impression on me is how whole experience sums up much of what it's like living in Rome. The city itself hardly ever changes, and serves as a backdrop for our daily lives here, but those lives are constantly coming and going. Most foreigners come to Rome for short stays, even those who come to work stay for months at a time, maybe a year, maybe two, always just a drop in the bucket in the city's view. Much the same as the outdoor performances come and go each summer, they set up shop for a few months and then move on, but the baths are still there watching all the less permanent things pass by.