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Roman baths were part of the day-to-day life in Ancient Rome. The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest and major tourist attraction in the city of Bath. It is one of the best examples of a Roman bath complex in Europe.

There are four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum holding finds from Roman Bath. The Roman Baths themselves are below the modern street level. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century.

The water which bubbles up from the springs at Bath, falls as rain on the nearby Mendip Hills. It percolates down through the limestone to depths up to 4,300 metres (14,100 ft) where the water temperature is raised by geothermal energy. Under pressure, the heated water rises to the surface along fissures and faults in the limestone. Hot water at a temperature of 46 °C (114.8 °F) rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 litres every day (Link The Sacred Spring) from a geological fault (the Pennyquick fault).

In the past this natural phenomenon was beyond human understanding and was believed to be the work of the ancient gods. The first shrine at the site of the hot springs was built by Celts and was dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva. In Roman times a great Temple was built next to the Spring dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva, a deity with healing powers. The temple was constructed in 60-70 AD and the bathing complex was gradually built up over the next 300 years. After the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the first decade of the 5th century, these fell into disrepair and were eventually lost due to silting up and flooding. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Link ) suggests that the original Roman baths were destroyed in the 6th century.[14]

The baths have been modified on several occasions, including the 12th century when John of Tours built a curative bath over the King's Spring reservoir and the 16th century when the city corporation built a new bath (Queen's Bath) to the south of the Spring..

The Roman Baths were excavated, restored and opened as a visitor attraction in the late 19th century.

Link Roman Baths website

Created: Tue, 17 Dec 2013, Updated: Tue, 17 Dec 2013