Pool in the Baths of Constantine in Arles
I entered the Baths of Constantine in Arles and to be honest, it was difficult to tell what kind of structure it is. Perhaps it is made more difficult because I don’t know of any modern equivalent of a Roman public bath. I would like to think of it as similar to a sauna but I don’t think that is a good comparison. Perhaps a public pool might be more appropriate. Anyway, people in the city would come here regularly to cleanse their bodies. This is probably something which would set them apart from other civilizations. The baths are public and thus free of charge. It is amazing how governments back then would provide for the people. These days people would have to pay just to be able to get anything from the government even after paying taxes.
Another Pool in the Baths of Constantine in Arles
Anyway, I was surprised to know that there are warm baths and cold baths in this place. There is a place which heats up the water and warm air is then flowed through the building through vents in the building. This allows the warm air to circulate and keep everybody warm. This must have been a nice place to be in especially when it is winter. I can just imagine how the baths would be filled with people in the winter. The baths here have pools but they no longer hold any water. It would have been nice to see this place filled with water just to make it easier to imagine how it was back then since there are hardly similar places like these at least from the places which I have visited.
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