[image ALT: Much of my site will be useless to you if you've got the images turned off!]

Balnea

Collecting all the individual balneum entries on pp68‑71 of

Samuel Ball Platner (as completed and revised by Thomas Ashby):
A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome,
London: Oxford University Press, 1929.

p68 Balneum: balneum, balnea, balneae, balineum, balinea, balineae — all these variants from the Greek βαλανεῖον are found, and were used without distinction, though originally, according to Varro, L. L. IX.68, the plural was used only where there was one building for men and another for women. According to Reg. there were 856 in the city. Of the following that are known, almost all are called by the cognomen of the builder or owner.

Balneum Abascanti: mentioned in Reg. in Region I. It was probably near the porta Capena, and possibly built by T. Flavius Abascantus, the freedman of Domitian.

Balnea Alexandri: said to have been built by Alexander Severus in all those parts of the city that were not already supplied with them (Hist. Aug. Alex. Sev. 39).

Balineum Ampelidis: mentioned in Reg. in Region XIV. The name seems to occur also on a fragment (48) of the Marble Plan. It was probably near the Molinae (q.v.) on the line of the aqua Traiana.

Balineum Antiochiani: mentioned only in Not. in Region I. It was probably near the porta Capena, and built perhaps by Flavius Antiochianus, consul in 270 A.D.

Balineum Bolani: mentioned only in Not. in Region I. It was perhaps built by M. Vettius Bolanus, consul some time before 69 A.D., whose interest in real estate and building is shown by the fact that he owned an insula in Trastevere, and restored a shrine to the Bona Dea (CIL VI.65‑67).1

Balneum Caesaris: inscribed on a fragment (49) of the Marble Plan. These may possibly be the baths of the palace (balneum Palatii) in which Didius Julianus was murdered by Sept. Severus (Aur. Vict. Ep. 19; cf. also Hist. Aug. Alex. Sev. 23: nec quicquam in Palatio curare (eunuchos) fecit nisi balneas feminarum).

Balneum Charini: mentioned by Martial (VII.34) as surprisingly good baths built by a notorious profligate.

p69 Balineum Claudianum: inscribed on part of a marble epistyle (CIL VI.29767) that was copied near S. Silvestro al Quirinale in the eighteenth century and again in a house near the site of the baths of Constantine. Other inscriptions relating to the patrician Claudii have been found in this vicinity, so that the baths were probably here (HJ 420).

Balneum Claudii Etrusci: mentioned by Statius, who describes it in silv. I.5. Its situation is unknown; but as it was supplied by the Anio (Vetus or Novus) the aqua Marcia, and the aqua Virgo, it must have been situated in the campus Martius, or at any rate low enough to be within the range of distribution of the last-named aqueduct. Cf. Mart. VI.42, who describes it as luxuriously fitted up, and decorated with coloured marbles, and in a very sunny situation.

Balineum Cotini: a name found only in a fragment (52) of the Marble Plan.

Balneum Crispini: mentioned only in Persius (V.126), with no indication of location.

Balineum Dafnidis: mentioned in Reg. in Region IV. Whether this is to be identified with the privatae balneae quae Daphnes appellantur (Schol. ad Iuv. VII.123) is uncertain. For the form of the name cf. Balineum Ampelidis.

Balineum Dianes(ae): mentioned in Reg. in Region XIV. The name was probably due to a statue or painting of Diana in the balnea or on the outside wall (see Ludus Aemilius), and the building stood near the Molinae and aqua Traiana.

Balineum Fausti and Balineum Fortunati: mentioned together by Martial (II.14.11). They were in the campus Martius, and seem to have been equipped in a very meagre way.

Balineum Germani: known only from its mention on one lead plate (Rostowzew, Syll. n. 886; Rév. Num. 1899, 42‑43).

Balineae Gordiani: erected by the Emperor Gordian in various parts of the city, in usum privatum exornatae (Hist. Aug. Gord. 32: see Thermae Suranae).

(Balineum Gratiarum) Χαριτων Λουτρον: inscribed on a marble epistyle that was found in the ruins of a beautiful room discovered in 1715 between the baths of Caracalla and the city walls (IG XIV. 1034, 1424; Mitt. 1894, 332; HJ XXI, 187).

Balineum Grylli: mentioned twice in Martial (I.59.3; II.14.12), and described as tenebrosum; probably situated in the campus Martius.

Balineum Iuliorum Akariorum: on an inscription (CIL VI.29764) found near the pons Gratiani and known only from the Einsiedeln Itinerary (De Rossi, Inscr. Christ. II p24, No. 24; cf. Mommsen, Sächs. Ber. 1850, 288, 308).

Balineum Lupi: see Aeolia.

p70 Balineum Mamertini: mentioned only in Reg. in Region I. These baths were probably near the porta Capena and may have been built by Sex. Petronius Mamertinus, praetorian prefect in 139‑143 A.D. (Pros. III.28.212).

Balneum Mercurii: mentioned in the Einsiedeln Itinerary (9), and possibly referred to in the templum Mercurii of the Mirabilia (1), as both balneum and templum are used in mediaeval documents for structures of various kinds. If there was a balneum Mercurii, it may have been near the Aqua Mercurii (q.v.) on the west slope of the Caelian (DAP 2.ix.418).

Balnea Naeratii Cerealis: built by Naeratius Cerealis, consul in 358 A.D. (CIL VI.1744, 31916), and situated on the Esquiline, in the space now bounded by the Vie Cavour, Manin, Farini, and the Piazza Esquilino. Parts of the foundations and some architectural fragments were discovered in 1873. The house of Naeratius probably stood near the baths (BC 1874, 84‑88; 1905, 294‑299).

Balneae Palatii: see Balneum Caesaris.

Balneae Pallacinae: see Pallacinae.

Balineum Phoebi: mentioned only in Juvenal (VII.233), without any indication of location.

Balneum Plauti(a)ni: see Lavacrum Plauti(a)ni.

Balneum Polycleti: see Ludus Aemilius.

Balineum Prisci: mentioned only in Not. in Region XIV. It was probably near the Molinae (q.v.) and the aqua Traiana.

Balineum Scriboniolum: located in region XIV according to an inscription found at Grottaferrata (CIL XV.7188; HJ 198; BC 1887, 286; PBS V.267).

Balneae Seniae: mentioned only by Cicero (pro Cael. 61, 62). There is no clue to its location.

Balneae Severi: baths erected by Severus on the right bank of the Tiber the existence of which depends on an emendation of the text in Hist. Aug. Sev. 19.5: eiusdemque etiam balneae2 (iani, ianae codd.) in Transtiberina regione ad portam nominis sui, quarum forma intercidens statim usum publicum invidit (Becker, de vet. Romae muris atque portis 127; Top. 213; HJ 629; WS 1884, 124; RhM 1884, 635). See Thermae Septimianae, Severianae (2).

Balnea Stephani: mentioned twice by Martial (XI.52.4; XIV.60). They were near his house on the Quirinal (see Domus Martialis).

Balnea Surae: see Thermae Suranae.

Balneum qui cognominatur Templus (in vicum Longum): mentioned in LP (XLII.6) among the buildings that fell into the possession of the basilica of SS. Gervasius and Protasius, which was dedicated under Innocent I (401‑417 A.D.). this basilica is now the church of S. Vitale (HCh 498).

p71 Balneum Tigellini: mentioned by Martial (III.20.16), and perhaps belonging to the notorious favourite of Nero. The name occurs on a lead tessera (Rostowzew, Syll. 888), and in a Latin gloss. (CGL III.657.14; Haupt, Opusc. II.457).

Balineum Torquati: mentioned in Reg. in Region I, and probably in the neighbourhood of the porta Capena.

Balineum Verulanum: inscribed on a marble cippus (CIL VI.182 = 30708) that was found between S. Maria Maggiore and S. Croce, in the Vigna Altieri near the tomb called Casa Tonda.

Βαλανειον Τιμοθινων: see Thermae Novati.

Balineum Vespasiani: mentioned only in Reg. in Region I with the Balneum Torquati.

The Authors' Notes:

1 The lettering of these inscriptions is against the attribution to his son, consul ordinarius in 111 A.D.; see Pros. III.411.323, 324. The date is given as 116 A.D., in CIL cit., and as 110 in HJ 640; but see CIL VI.222, 691.

❦

2 Magie (Loeb series ad loc.) prefers Zangemeister's Septimianae (RhM cit.) for balneae.

Images with borders lead to more information.
The thicker the border, the more information. (Details here.)

The Dictionary's table of bibliographical abbreviations is here;
it includes links to those complete works that are online.

Balnea

Collecting all the individual balneum entries on pp68‑71 of

Samuel Ball Platner (as completed and revised by Thomas Ashby): A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, London: Oxford University Press, 1929.

The Authors' Notes:

Samuel Ball Platner (as completed and revised by Thomas Ashby):
A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome,
London: Oxford University Press, 1929.