Thermalism in the Roman Provinces: The Role of Medicinal Mineral Waters across the Empire

Roman bathing is usually associated with civic bathhouses, but mineral and medicinal springs created a distinct category of thermal establishment. Edited by Silvia González Soutelo, this volume examines sites across the Roman provinces where architecture, engineering and landscape were adapted to waters valued for their perceived therapeutic properties.

The studies travel from Aquae Iasae in present-day Croatia to Aquincum near Budapest, Baiae in Italy and mineral-water sites in Portugal. At each place, the geology and character of the spring affected how water was channelled and bathing spaces were built. The contributors also consider the roads that brought visitors to these places and the rituals, health beliefs and neighbouring communities that grew around them. A Roman spa could be both a feat of engineering and a destination with a life of its own.