Tuesday, September 09, 2003

Hygiene in Ancient Rome

"'Florence Dupont (Daily Life in Ancient Rome) writes that it was for reasons of ritual that the Romans washed frequently. And she adds that '. . . even in very ancient times and even in the depth of the country, Romans, including women and slaves, would wash every day and would have a thorough bath on every feast day if not more often. At Rome itself, baths were taken daily.
'According to her, the admission fee at public baths was one-quarter as. [Affordable for pretty much everyone.]
'Joachim Marquardt (Das Privatleben der R?mer) writes that fees differed, mentions one-quarter to one as for men, but always one full as for women, and that children got in free. He also writes that life-long free baths might be bequeathed in wills. That in itself seems to stress the importance of bathing. "

No comments: