Kourion Complex (Apollo) post 1945 (1 of 2)

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stood on its bright-colored mosaic floor, probably at least waist deep in cold water; for this was the unheated part of the establishment known as the frigidarium. Or he might pass by the large basin and enter room 6 and have a cold bath there in a small built-in basin with a mosaic floor. Having completed his cold bath, he would enter room 7, the tepidarium, as the Romans called it. The people of his day were of the opinion that sudden changes in temperature were to be avoided. So, before proceeding from the unheated rooms into that part of the establishment which was heated, the bather passed through a tepid room, where he remained for what was considered a suitable interval of time. This room was heated by having hot air pass under a section of the mosaic floor. He then passed into the sudatorium (room 8), known as the sudatorium. This room had its marble floor and walls heated sufficiently to allow the bather to perspire freely before going on into the last room (room 9) the caldarium, as it was called. This last room, as will be seen from the plan, had two bays, one in the south wall, and another at the west end. Judging from parallels elsewhere, there would have been built-in basins here occupying the entire space of the two bays. These would have been filled with hot water. After a hot bath the bather would return by the same way he came, remaining for a suitable interval in the tepidarium, the before passing into the unheated part of the establishment to his dressing room.

The bath establishment, as we have said, had central heating. A fire was kindled near the east end of the narrow passage leading from room 10 to the chamber under room 9 (plan, fig. ). praefurnium. Room 10 was the stoker's room, known as the praefurnium, which has been The floor of this room, only a part of which has been cleared, was probably rock-hewn throughout. The passage floor is rock-hewn; the walls are lined with fire bricks; and the ceiling is composed of terracotta tiles. Both bricks and tiles come from a local factory. The heated air passed from the passage to the chamber under room 8. The purpose of this chamber was to distribute the hot air to heat the rooms above. Such chambers were known as hypocausts. Our bath has three (plan fig. ). Their floors, in a fine state of preservation, are composed of terracotta tiles measuring 62 cm. square. The hypocaust walls are lined with similar tiles. Piers made up of fire bricks protected with lime mortar, supported the ceilings . The hot air, and with it the smoke, would past from hypocaust to hypocaust. In rooms 9 and 8 the hot air and smoke