'For the Romans, bathing was primarily a social event. It was more about meeting people than getting clean'.

Question

To what extent should I agree with this? Does anyone have any usefull links to ancient sources?

Answer 1

It's accurate.

Answer 2

It is not accurate but the spirit is true.

For Romans getting clean was important.

However, bathhouses had much more to do then just getting clean. So going to bathhouses was a social event.

Any time someone sums up an entire nation of people with a general statement you can assume it is not true (generalizations are never true, including this one). Poor Roman farmers did not hang out all day in a bathhouse. Wealth Roman landowners and businessmen did.

For those with plenty of free time and whose interests (political or business) required talking to people, the bathhouses were used primarily for social purposes. For poor people they were used for cleaning and as a mini-vacation (they would spend the day if they could).

Answer 3

See if you can get hold of William Stearns Davis--A Day in Old Rome (very readable history book written for HS level in early 1920s; some references).

See also _A History of Private Life_ vol. 1 (Pagan Rome-Byzantium), Aries/Duby, general editors; Belknap Press/Harvard University, 1987. (Great series, BTW.) There's a couple of pages on baths/bathing customs and luxuries in Rome and also in Roman North Africa; hope this helps. Aries is a pretty reputable historian, FWIW; see his Centuries of Childhood.
I'd also be on the lookout for anything titled "Daily Life in Ancient Rome" (or similar), and see what the author's take is on this topic, once his/her credentials have been established.
Good luck!

Answer 4

there were scapulum:bronze scrapers to scrape away dead skin from the flesh after repeated stages of tepidariums and caldariums ,steam and rest areas to soak yet more leisurely!!!!!cleaning was very serious business to the romans like no people before them!!!!and they went to great lengths and expense in the minor and great cities to maintain this ethic!!!!"cleanliness being next to godliness!!"because it was such an enjoyable experience the fact that one could meet there with cultured and like-minded personages to discuss business , public service and official business without going thither and yon just made it so much more convenient and popular!!!!for everyone but the prisoners and slaves who were forced or paid little to stoke the fires in the caverns beneath the floors of the "hot rooms","steam rooms",and warmed pools all day long and the wood cutters who denuded the countrysides to procure the fuel!!!

Answer 5

The History Channel has many references to this--EVERYBODY visited the baths in Rome. Some of the wealthy would even spend all day there. There were all types of baths, steam rooms, etc. I can't imagine that they would have spent that much time in there if they were just trying to get clean.

Answer 6

That's about right....

Answer 7

It was a big gay get together.

Love, Jack.