The spaces of private life

An exceptional discovery: the thermal baths of Agrigentum

In the daily life of the inhabitants of ancient Rome, the thermal baths played a fundamental role: they were considered a genuine rite , as well as a place of reception for the elite, where both the rich patricians and the general population could go.
In 2014, during an excavation campaign to uncover Insula IV in the Hellenistic-Roman quarter, a spa building was found: a discovery of incredible importance, if we think that in such a large and structured settlement as Agrigentum this element, fundamental in Roman cities from the imperial age onwards, was still absent.
The remains uncovered so far include three compartments created with great technical accuracy composed of tufa ashlars.
The first is rectangular with a cocciopesto floor and inside it has the remains of a round pool, probably the calidarium, whose floor was destroyed by the reuse of the structure in the early Middle Ages, perhaps for the installation of a limekiln .
From here we would pass to the access area of the praefurnium, a large furnace used to produce hot air. In Vano 3 we can still see the hypocaust with the suspensurae, which allow us to understand how the heating system of the thermal bath worked. It is still unclear whether the system was public or private: the remains found are attached to a domus, but the size of the excavated rooms would suggest a district spa complex open to inhabitants of the residential area in the centre of the ancient city.

The domus, guardians of private life

Roman affairs

A Sanctuary for the Latin gods

Mens sana in corpore sano: the gymnasium of Agrigento

The provincial layout of Sicily

The tomb of Theron

The Punic Wars and the final conquest of Akragas

The cult of the Emperor

The ancient port of Agrigentum

The Kolymbetra Garden

Breathing in world heritage together

The centre of politics in Agrigentum

The Oratory of Phalaris

Works for the muses: the mosaics of the Hellenistic-Roman quarter

The wellness centres of the Romans

The forum in the city of the Akragantines

The sarcophagus of the Child

The Romans settle in Agrigentum

The Roman necropolis

From Akragas to Agrigentum

Moments of leisure: the theatre

Vegetation in the Gardens

Hellenistic heritage on the streets of Agrigentum

Cicero’s account: Agrigentum in In Verrem

The gods of Agrigento

The life of young people in Roman times

The driver of Agrigentum’s well-being

The Hellenistic-Roman quarter

An exceptional discovery: the thermal baths of Agrigentum

The Living Almond Museum

Politics comparison: Akragas and Agrigentum

The theatre of origins