The Roman Bath
The Roman Bath, situated on Çankırı Street stretching to Yıldırım Beyazit Square
from Ulus Square, approximately 400 meters far from Ulus, on the west of the road, about
2.5 meters high from the street, was built by the roman empire Caracalla (211-217), the
son of Septimius Severus in the 3rd Century to the honor of the God of Health, Asklepion.
It has been established that this platform which is called the Roman Bath today, was a
tumulus and carried the remains of Roman times (partially Byzantine and Seljuk layers) on
the top, and of Frigian times at the bottom.
The dimensions of the bath is 80x130 meters, made of stones and bricks. The entrance on
Çankırı Street leads to a wide area surrounded with the remains of columned pavilion
and then to Palaestra, a place for physical education and wrestling. On the right of this
part, along the columned road there are lots of cornered and circle inscripted columns.
The Phirigidarium (cool room) is just behind the sporting area, and Piscina
(swimming pool) with stairs to sit on the sides and an Apoditarium (place to take
off the clothes) are on the left, and the cooling room with column pieces made circle
bricks is on the right. At the Tepidarium (warm room) has also column pieces of
circled bricks. The bath rooms had once been on these columns. The Caldarium (hot
room) division is at the back of the bath and includes 12 stokeholes. The hot and warm
rooms are more wide divisions because of Ankara's very cold winter conditions. These rooms
were supported with under-ground warming installations having brick columns around to let
the air to circulate easily, an the upper rooms were warmed by this way.
It has been established from the coins obtained during excavations that the building
which had been destroyed after e great fire in the 7th century, had been used for a 500
years and had been restorated from time to time.
During the excavations of the Turkish History Institution the dressing and bathing
parts of the bath, stokeholes and service paths are discovered. |
