Estimated to have been built after 80 BC, the Forum Baths was a bath complex, divided into two zones. One was for men, the other for women, and both shared central heating. Even after the eruption of Vesuvius, the men’s baths remain in remarkably good condition. The dressing room has a vaulted ceiling, which had once been decorated with stuccoes, although few remain.

Explore the historical thermal baths, which functioned on an ingenious system of heating. It worked by running heated water through the cavities in the wall, and the Forum Baths were made up of the frigidarium, the tepidarium and the caldarium. The frigidarium was made up of a circular tub which allowed for cold bathing, and cooling down from the heated baths. The tepidarium was heated by a large bronze brazier, where the people could enjoy tepid water. Finally, the caladium was the structure heated by the wall cavity system, with a large bath raised on two steps. Its bench seat would have allowed for many bathers to sit and converse, which was an important function of the baths at the time. Being adorable, the Forum Baths was a crucial public space, where inhabitants could converse and even do business. Don’t miss out on the Forum Baths while in Pompeii!