The huge and overwhelming ruins of Terme de Caracalla - baths - the Romans liked to keep clean
I wonder if my fascination with Roman history stems from my four years of Latin in school or because they are the source of much of Western Society’s heritage. I mean if you think about it, the engineering and technical advances they had way back in B.C. times compared to what and how the Aboriginals were choosing to live is quite amazing. I mean you read history of other peoples and they are living in mud huts and eating raw meat (well perhaps I am pushing it there) but there are the Romans with these huge complexes of baths and administrations, cities fed by aquaducts and I bet they were only a hiccup away from having electricity.
Trying to capture the enormity of the baths in a photo
The baths were exceptionally interesting because they are not promoted as such – not like the Colosseum and the Forum. Therefore less people visit them. But they are still spectacular. How the Romans managed to build such aquaducts to transport water over such distances is amazing. Then again, I guess slave labour comes pretty cheap.
Built in 200 someodd AD - try to do that today with the same mechanisms!
As I wander through these ruins I try to imagine life then. I also think of the numbers of people who have walked on these same floors and seen these same walls. What was going on in their lives, what were they thinking. Were they happy or sad? Were they in love or alone? How different might they have been as individuals going through the human experience as each of us do today? Perhaps no different. Perhaps entirely different. This is something we will never know.
Intricate tile work
One thing that I don’t know but it is a question that keeps coming up in my mind, is how much of what I see, given that this place, for example, was built in 200 some-odd AD, is actually what was there (for example floor tiles, some of the walls) and what has been restored or reconstructed for our consumption. Certainly some of the walls appear that they have been restored around sections that are still the original, otherwise, how would some be in such excellent condition and other sections so worn? Perhaps it is a dumb question but they don’t address it anywhere in the literature.
A picture of a picture of the aerial view of the baths
I have to agree with you about our fascination with Roman history, because our Latin teacher (cannot remember her name at the moment, but I remember her looong hair and she had a beagle, right) really made our Latin class fun by making history come alive.
Once again, thanks for posting such amazing photos, which make me want to travel to Italy right now.
Mrs. Marshall. Yes I have been thinking of her a lot and wondering how she is doing. Definitely she put the passion into Latin. Hey that rhymes.