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Thermae

Collecting all the individual thermae entries on pp518‑536 of

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

(pp518‑520) Thermae Agrippae: see separate page.

Thermae Alexandrinae: see Thermae Neronianae.

(pp521‑524) Thermae Antoninianae (Caracallae): see separate page.

Thermae Aurelianae: a bathing establishment for se in winter which Aurelian planned to build on the right bank of the Tiber, but apparently did not (Hist. Aug. Aur. 45: thermas in Transtiberina regione Aurelianus facere paravit hiemales quod aquae frigidioris copia illic deesset). Cf. Platner in CP 1917, 195, as against HJ 630 (who translates it 'cold baths') citing id. Gord. 32.7 for thermae aestivae contrasted with thermae hiemales — the reason being in his opinion that the water was not cold enough to be pleasant for use in summer, and therefore it p525 was thought better to warm it for use in winter. Domaszewski (SHA 1916, 7. A, 5‑6; 1918, 13. A, 48) regards the whole story as a mere fabrication.

Thermae Cleandri: see Thermae Commodianae.

Thermae Commodianae: baths built by Cleander, a favourite of Commodus, in Region I (Not.), probably south or south-east of those built later by Caracalla ( Hist. Aug. Commod. 17; Chron. 147; Hieron a. Abr. 2199; Chron. Pasch. I.226; Herodian I.12.4).1 Whether these thermae were called γυμνάσιον or not, depends on the reading accepted in Herod. 12.4: γυμνάσιον κατασκευάσας καὶ (A, Io, Mendelssohn's ed. 1883; om. B, V, vulgo)2 λουτρὸν δημόσιον ἀνῆκεν αὐτοῖς. The thermae Commodianae mentioned in Eins. 1.4, 2.4, 4.8, 8.6 are the Thermae Agrippae (q.v.); for ib. 11.2, cf. DAP 2.ix.416). No trace of the real thermae Commodianae has been found (HJ 217; Merlin 329, n6).

(p526) Thermae Constantinianae: see separate page.

(p527) Thermae Decianae: see separate page.

(pp528‑530) Thermae Diocletiani: see separate page.

Thermae Domitii: baths built by Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus, the father of Nero, on the Sacra via (Sen. Contr. IX.4.18: thermas prospicientes viam sacram), probably adjacent to his house (see Domus Domitiana).

Thermae Etrusci: the baths of Claudius Etruscus, described in detail by Statius (Silv. I.5) and Martial (vi.42). As they were fed by both the aqua Virgo and Marcia, these baths were probably on the north-eastern part of the Quirinal or the south end of the Pincian (see Vollmer's Statius, Silvae ad loc.).

Thermae Gordiani: see Hist. Aug. Gord. 32.7 (the passage is probably a fabrication; cf. SHA 1916, 7. A, 6).

Thermae Helenae: baths situated on the eastern part of the Caelian hill, between the amphitheatrum Castrense and the arcus Neroniani of the Aqua Claudia, and are now bounded by the Vie di S. Croce in Gerusalemme and Eleniana. They are almost entirely destroyed. They are commonly ascribed to Helena, the mother of Constantine, on the evidence of an inscription found among the meagre ruins on this site (CIL VI.1136: d. n. Helena venerabilis domini n. Constantini Aug. mater et avia beatissimor. et florentis[ºsimor. Caesarum nostrorum thermas incendio destructas restituit). This inscription of course records only a restoration, and there is no actual occurrence of the name thermae Helenae. In 1907 a fragmentary inscription was discovered in the cloister of S. Croce in Gerusalemme which contained a list of distinguished men of the time of Maximian, with certain sums opposite their names, and it has been conjectured that this may be a list of men who made voluntary contributions to construct the baths which Helena afterwards restored (BC 1907, 114‑121). In the sixteenth century much more of the building was standing, and we have plans then drawn by Palladio (Devonshire collection; Terme dei Romani, ed. Rossi, Vicenza, 1797, pl. XVII reproduced in BC 1896, 238) and by Antonio da Sangallo the younger (Uffizi, 1439; cf. LF 31, 32). On the north-east side of the thermae are the ruins of a piscina, fed probably by the aqua Alexandrina, with vaulted chambers, in one of which was a church during the Middle Ages with painted walls (Mitt. 1892, 273; see also HJ 247; LR 400‑401; DE II.2167; HCh 586, 587).

Thermae Maxentii: baths which Maxentius is said to have constructed on the Palatine (Chron. 148; in palatio fecit; HJ 107; Becker, Top. 436).

(pp531‑532) Thermae Neronianae: see separate page.

Thermae Novati: baths near S. Pudenziana which, although probably ancient, are mentioned only in the Acta S. Praxedis (Mai iv.279: in vico Patricii). Near them were probably the thermae Timothei (Acta S. Iustinae 33: Μαρτίνου τοῦ Τιμοθίνου βαλανεῖον, ap. BCr 1867, 55), and to them may have belonged the fragment of an inscription found in S. Pudenziana (CIL VI.29769; Maximus has olim thermas; HJ 340).

Thermae Septimianae: baths built by Septimius Severus near the Porta Septimiana (q.v.); cf. also Balneae Severi.3 They are only mentioned in Hist. Aug. Sever. 19 (eiusdemque Severi Septimianae (so Zangemeister) in Transtiberina regione ad portam nominis sua, quarum forma intercidens statim usum publicam invidit); SHA 1916, 7. A, 5, 6.

Thermae Severianae: baths built by Septimius Severus in Region I (Not. Cur.), which were standing in the fourth century, but are not mentioned after (Hist. Aug. Sever. 19; Chron. 147; Hier. a. Abr. 2216). They were probably south of the baths of Caracalla (HJ 217‑218; Merlin 329, n6, 384; Jord. II.512‑513).

Thermae Severianae (?): in Region XIV; see Thermae Septimianae, Balneae Severi.

(p533) Thermae Suranae: see separate page.

Thermae Timothei: see Thermae Novati.

(p534) Thermae Titi: see separate page.

(pp535‑536) Thermae Traiani: see separate page.

The Authors' Notes:

1 A passage from the Consultatio veteris Iurisconsulti (Huschke, Jurisprudentiae anteiustinian. p743), ix.2, speaks of a law of March 24th, 365, as 'allegata in basilica thermarum Com(modianarum)': cf. BC 1926, 66.

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2 It is also omitted by Stavenhagen (1922).

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3 The two emendations are of course mutually exclusive.

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Thermae

Collecting all the individual thermae entries on pp518‑536 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.