Terme del Foro, Public thermal baths in Herculaneum, Italy
Terme del Foro is a Roman bathhouse in Herculaneum featuring separate sections for cold, warm, and hot bathing. The various rooms connect through corridors and ancillary chambers.
The bathhouse was built during the first century AD and operated until Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. Volcanic ash and pumice from the eruption buried the structure beneath layers of debris.
The facility functioned as a social hub where Romans gathered for daily bathing routines and casual conversation with neighbors. Such places shaped the everyday social rhythm of the ancient city.
Inside, visitors can observe the preserved heating infrastructure with underground chambers that distributed hot air through walls and floors. Taking time to examine the technical details helps you understand how the system functioned.
The complex preserves decorated mosaics depicting sea creatures and geometric designs, alongside original lead pipes from the ancient water system. These artifacts offer rare insight into the craftsmanship and engineering prowess of that era.
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