Description

This section shows the Caldariums, or hot plunge baths, to the left. With a room temperature of 32 degrees C in ancient times, the Caldarium on the southern side of the present-day entry area contained three warm water basins (water temperature about 20-30 degrees C), which were heated by a so-called "tortoise" (testudo alvei - bronze, tortoise-shaped metal boiler over the heating channel) and one floor heated by hypocausts (reconstructed), short pillars between which hot air from the furnaces would be circulated to warm the floor slabs placed atop them. With a water depth of merely 40 cm this caldarium was only suitable for knee-deep wading and not for swimming.

Media Id: media_WRB_20071023_191036 Date Uploaded: 2007-10-23 19:10:36