Today the Baths of Caracalla serve as a tourist attraction for world travelers who visit Rome. It has been the site of many musical performances and operas, however now it is thought to be risky to host musical exertions for fear that it could threaten the still standing structures. It is amazing to think that the ground level we stood on to view the baths from the outside, is actually one level above where the ground used to be. Luckily there was never anything built over top of the baths and so it remains the most well preserved ruin in Rome.
While wandering through the corridors of the baths, I couldn't help but question why there is nothing quite like them that exists today. Of course we have establishments like the YMCA and other various gyms and spas, but there truly is nothing that even comes close to comparing to the social aspect and daily routine that the Roman people were involved in with the baths. It was considered an integral part of life for the people of its time and it didn't matter whether you were wealthy or poor, anyone could enjoy the luxurious bathing. It seems to me that our culture is so consumed with the fast paced lifestyle that there wouldn't necessarily be a demand or opportunity for people to thoroughly enjoy and take advantage of a modern day bathing community. Instead of physical and hygienic wellness being prioritized or practiced in public, our society creates an environment where exercise has to be scheduled in and personal hygiene remains just that, personal. Not to mention the collective shunning of public nudity and wide spread body shaming for those who don't look like supermodels.
It is only natural that as humans we are constantly evolving and changing. We may still consider all around personal wellness to be important, but the way in which it is approached and practiced is very different from the way things were in the time of the baths. Not only were the baths a place to exercise and bathe, but it was a place to gain mental health as well. The vast libraries and communal conversations that took place at the baths only added to the many things the baths offered its daily visitors. In our society, we compartmentalize everything to have its specific times and places. Very rarely do we ever have anything or any place that allows us to combine mental and physical activities together. We feel the need to separate everything into categories based on what is most important to each individual.
Not only have the structures of the baths survived this long, but they represent something that is much greater than just an old ruin. They become a portal to the past and allow us to recognize what was an important part of life for the Roman people. It boggles the mind just attempting to understand how advanced the people of this time were and how they were able to accomplish creating such large buildings that lasted centuries. It's amazing that throughout all the disasters and horrors of history, those baths still stand tall today. There is nothing in our American culture that could even come close to comparing to that volume of man made antiquity.
The Baths of Caracalla are just one part of an entire ancient Roman culture that fascinates me. Comparing and contrasting the habits, values, and beliefs of today's society to the society of the historical Roman people is very interesting to me. When looked at from a sociological view point, it is easy to see where things changed over time and why. The one advantage our society has today is the large reminder of the past still standing in our present. The baths provide a combination of old and new. Not only were they important enough to stand the test of time, but have also been repurposed and used as an icon of present day Roman tourism.
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