Category: Ancient Rome
The Grand Thermae (Great Baths) were located in the south wing of the magnificent complex of Hadrian’s Villa, constructed by Roman Emperor Hadrian himself around 120 AD at Tivoli just outside Rome.
The facility employed a heating system under the floor and contained a sauna and pools of varied temperatures that were used by the personnel of the villa whilst Hadrian himself and his guest would use the lavishly decorated Small Thermae.
The Temple of Saturn (Templum Saturni or Aedes Saturni, foreground) stood at the foot of the Capitoline Hill (Capitolium) on the western end of the Forum Romanum (Roman Forum) at the heart of ancient Rome.
In fact, nowadays ruins on display represent the third age of the temple as it was largely rebuilt following a fire in 360 AD, carrying a relative extant commemorating inscription on its frieze.
The wording on it has “Senatus Populusque Romanus incendio consumptum restitui (The Senate and People of Rome restored the consumed by fire).”
Construction of the original temple started during the reign of the seventh and last king of Rome Lucius Tarquinius Superbus but was inaugurated quite likely in 497 BC by consul Titus Larcius in the early years of the Roman Republic, thus effectively marking a watershed in Roman history.
Yet, the altar of Saturn that once stood before the temple is considered much older associated with the god’s legendary founding of the city on the Capitolium.
Incidentally, the temple further underwent a thorough revamp under senator Munatius Plancus centuries later in 42 BC, which ushered in its second age.
The building used to house the Aerarium, the state treasury, where the reserves in gold and silver of the Republic were stored as well as the state archives, the insignia and official scale for the weighing of metals.
Later, the Aerarium was shifted to another building whilst the archives were transferred to nearby Tabularium, still within the forum.
Nowadays, the pediment and eight columns of the front porch still stand reminiscent of the splendour of the old temple.
This is a reconstruction of the magnificent Baths (Thermae) of Caracalla, regarded as one of the seven wonders of the city, that were built between 212 and 216 AD located in the southern quarters, more precisely the Regio XII Piscina Publica, and near the walls of ancient Rome.
This is the layout of the Roman Forum, or Forum Romanum, and central ancient Rome (save much later added Plazza Venezia top left and Palatino Museum towards the bottom in the modern era).
Breaking through History 