A Study Of Ancient Roman Bathing Culture From The End Of The Republic To The Empire

This dissertation gives a comprehensive discussion about bathing in the early and middle period of the Roman history.Besides,it discusses the establishment of luxurious Roman baths in the Late Republic and imperial Rome.The dissertation also discusses comprehensively the changes in bathing styles and the status of bathing in the Romans' social life.It also reveals the cultural connotation of bathing and its social function in ancient Rome.The dissertation analyzes the causes of the prosperity of Roman bathing culture from the end of Roman Republic to the imperial period and the influence from two aspects.It analyzes the purpose why every class at that time make every effort to build and maintain baths.Moreover,the dissertation tries to explain the changes of the bathing culture in order to show the interaction of society,politics and culture at that time,which strengthens our comprehensive understanding of the society and culture in ancient Rome.The whole dissertation is divided into five chapters.In Chapter One,it introduces the relatively simple bathing style of the Romans in the early and middle Roman Republic and emphasizes that this situation is a product of specific historical conditions.It is the backward small-scale peasant economy,complicated and harsh external environment,the moral traditions of frugality and other factors that lead to this circumstance.In Chapter Two,the dissertation describes the construction of the baths in Italy from the end of the Roman Republic to the imperial period.Firstly,it pointed out that the solution to the water supply problem and the improvement of heating technology are the two basic prerequisites for the construction of the baths.Then it introduces the construction of the luxurious baths in the Italy represented by the Rome city and the development of the hot spring baths in Baiae.Finally,the source of funds for maintenance and construction of the baths are analyzed.Based on these discussion,the dissertation considered that the magnificent Roman architecture is an artistic embodiment of the national spirit of ancient Rome.In Chapter Three,the dissertation focuses on the analysis of the bath architecture from the end of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.It is represented mainly in the baths of the three regions of North Africa,Britain and Asia Minor.It introduces the bath architecture and bathing culture outside the mainland of Roman Italy.It points out that the development of the bathing culture in the province is one of the signs of Romanization.In Chapter Four,the dissertation focuses on the three aspects:customers of great variety,cumbersome and extravagant ceremonies,leisurely life after bath.All three aspects show that baths are important places for the Romans in the imperial period.Bathing plays an important role in Romans' social life.The author points out that bathing not only reflects the so-called "equality"and "obscuring the class boundaries" of Roman society at that time,but also becomes one of the hallmarks of the Romans' civilized way of life,a feature of Roman culture,and a microcosm of the development of Roman Society.In Chapter Five,the dissertation mainly discusses the causes of the prosperity of the Roman bathing culture from the Late Roman Republic to the imperial period in three aspects.The three aspects are the stability and prosperity of the Empire,the needs of medicine and health,the urbanization movement and the influence of cultural exchanges.The construction of luxurious baths and the changes of bathing styles are not accidental.They are the results of profound internal and external factors.At the same time,the change of bathing has an enormous impact on the Roman Empire.The change not only promotes the degree of civilization and physical health of the Romans,but also causes numerous criticisms due to the problems in its process of development.