A thermal bath (also hot spring, lat. thermae) is a mechanism for the therapeutic use of a Thermalquelle.

Openly to light stepping Thermalquellen are already used ago since age for bathing and welfare purposes. Since that 5. Century v. Chr. antique bath mechanisms are provable for the use of Thermalquellen.

Hot springs in the antique one

In particular with the Romans the hot springs developed to a center of the public life. They were established however only partially in connection with a Thermalquelle, but usually received their water over aquaducts. At present the Augustus established Agrippa in Rome the first large hot spring plant, which was equipped to instruction contrary to the up to then usual baths (lat. balneum) with areas for struggle and for other kinds of sport (taken over from the Greek High School, e.g. see Samos), to the Konversation and even, which was connected with the warm baths. Often there were change courses and shops, which the visitors with all supplied. Hot springs were equipped publicly accessible (free of charge or against a relatively small fee) and usually magnificently. The large hot spring complexes in Rome were built by the emperors, e.g. Caracalla hot springs (builds 206-216), Diokletiansthermen (builds 298-306).

Always far refining baths spread generally speaking rule area, up to the border provinces, where even the military camps at the Limes usually had public baths. To minimum requirements belonged a changing room (apodyterium), a warm air area (sudatorium), a warm water bath (caldarium), a cooling area (tepidarium) and a chilled water bath (frigidarium). For the heating of the areas an early form of the under-floor heating, a Hypokaustum heating was used. At the still partly received hot springs of Pompeji or the three hot springs in Trier the structure of Roman hot springs can be reconstructed well.

The hot springs developed in Italy from different forerunners like the Greek bath (Balneion) and native sweating cures. Since the center of the 1. Century v. Chr. the building of public baths is well-known in Rome, and during the 1. Century n. Chr. attained bathing in public baths a high meaning as social center of the life and firmly to the routine of the day belonging ritual. The literary and epigraphischen sources show that the popularity of bathing with the Romans in the time between Cicero (106-43 v. Chr.) and Martial (approx. 40-104 n. Chr.) strongly increased. The question about the reasons of this increasing popularity are difficult to answer, since many factors might have played thereby a role: on the one hand increasing the population in the Rome of the 1. Jh. n. Chr. and the intensified need after possibilities of washing and possibilities of the escape from poor living circumstances. A further reason can in the spreading of medical theories, which recommended a bathing as health-promoting are seen.

These regulations led to that in principle always resemble sequence of space of the Roman baths: After apodyterium (changing room) caldarium, the hot bath area with hot water basins followed, after it tepidarium with moderates heat, in which one sat longer. Then one cooled down in frigidarium, the cold bath area, and jumped themselves there into the chilled water basin. Finally there was an area in some baths still laconicum or sudatorium, in which a dry heat was produced and which possessed no basins. An important part of the antique bath procedure was also and locking the lubrication between the individual bath courses, the oil was again scraped off by means of Strigilis and removed thus also sweat and dirt.

The importance of this mechanism is confirmed by the large number and the magnificent equipment of the Roman bath buildings - is it private or public kind. The meaning of bathing as a component of the life of a becomes clear also on the basis the many baths, which developed in new provinces soon after conquest. If one takes the northwest provinces as example, then it shows up that soon after conquest from the Romans almost everywhere hot springs resulted. This bath custom and the pertinent buildings were introduced naturally by the Romans, who wanted to do without this convenience not for a long time. Their fast spreading in the province also at places, which were inhabited by Romans not exclusively, shows however the imminent assumption of the custom by the native population.

Hot springs today

Also today thermal baths serve therapeutic purposes and are often attached health resort facilities. In addition, in the last years the leisure and aspect of well-being feeling moved it into the foreground and become pools with different temperature levels, often saltwater baths, Saunalandschaften with several Saunen and and Massageangeboten. The largest Thermalkurort of the world is the Hungarian capital Budapest also over 120 different sources and more than 21 public, partly up to 450 years old, baths (see also: Budapester of thermal baths). One of the most well-known thermal baths in Hungary is Also in Japan these baths have a long tradition (Onsen).

Literature

• Erika The Roman hot springs and the antique bath nature. Scientific book company, Darmstadt 1983.

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