Baths of Trajan, Rome, Italy

The Baths of Trajan were a massive thermae, a bathing and leisure complex, built in ancient Rome starting from 104 AD and dedicated during the Kalends of July in 109. Commissioned by Emperor Trajan, the complex of baths occupied space on the southern side of the Oppian Hill on the outskirts of what was then the main developed area of the city, although still inside the boundary of the Servian Wall. The baths were being utilized mainly as a recreational and social center by Roman citizens, both men and women, as late as the early 5th century.

The complex seems to have been deserted soon afterwards as a cemetery dated to the 5th century (which remained in use until the 7th century) has been found in front of the northeastern exedra. The baths were thus no longer in use at the time of the siege of Rome by the Goths in 537; with the destruction of the Roman aqueducts, all thermae were abandoned, as was the whole of the now-waterless Mons Oppius.

References:

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User Reviews

Zaid El-Hoiydi (18 months ago)
I wish more would be done in modern times to restore this place to its past magnificence. Nonetheless what remains to be seen today can easily be complemented by imagination and some educated guesses. Of all ancient sites I have seen in Rome, and they were many, this is where I most wished time travel would be a reality. Some practical notes: This place is vast and has many shaded spots where one can seat and cool down. By Italian standards, the public toilets are (were) fantastic. They have an app to buy online which you can install for audio guidance, a group of five before us did that with the assistance of a patient cashier so we had to wait 15 more minutes until they were all set. This was not an efficient way to reduce the waiting time at an entry gate.

Ilpo Kettunen (2 years ago)
Ruins of old Baths with informative signs telling their history

kojiki123 (4 years ago)
It could have been great :) All these remains really show the 'greatness' of old times. Fantastic place for resting. Nice walk paths and scenic ruins for taking beautiful photos. If in Rome it's a must see, just to see sth different, not so known but also fantastic.

S.Y. Park (4 years ago)
It was an interesting archeological site. It required a lot of imaginations and a lot of reading to relate the ruin as a bath, though. Maybe my expectations were too high, but it's not worth the second visit, IMO.

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