TRAVELER

[The factual information used for writing this article is extracted from the details presented by the site’s official tour guides]

To get a taste of the ancient history and people’s day-to-day lives, a good place to visit is the Roman Baths in Bath, UK.

The site is built around the only hot springs in the UK, which are claimed to be among the “finest spas of the ancient world”. They supply “more than a million litters of naturally hot water daily”.  The hot (about 46 degrees) spring water pours into the lead-based, outdoor pool in the heart of the attraction. The iron reached, chemically untreated water in the pool appears green (due to the algae).

The steam rising up from the surface of the emerald water gives a distinctive mystical appearance to the place. Romans made the stone pavements around the pool over 2000 years ago. Victorians renovated the site and rebuilt the columns surrounding the pool and the statues that look over the pool.

In this site the reins of the temple of Minerva (goddess of the thermal spring), old carvings on the stones and some Romans’ everyday objects (such as combs and pieces of jewellery) can be seen. One of my favourite new additions is the projection of ghostly figures that appear to be bathing in the pool. The auditory stimulation provided by addition of vague voices impersonating bathers having conversations among themselves is particularly fascinating.

I enjoyed visiting the place very much. It reminded me of some of the old fables that were based around events happening in Persian baths. Unfortunately I have no pictures related to Persian baths, but included here a link to some pictures taken by Horizon.