An Ostia Adventure

Today during lunch, I decided to wander over to a certain bathhouse, the Terme di Mitra, in the city with Bart. Why this bath complex of so many in the city? Well, it's rather interesting, for one reason, because it was converted into a church in the 4th/5th century.

Look! It's a bath that became a church.

Upon becoming a church--or I suppose, I should write upon the transformation from bath complex to church (although, honestly, Bart and I couldn't find any evidence that the baths stopped being used after this space became a church--the bathing facilities are in other rooms--but the archaeological site for Ostia says that the waterworks seem to have fallen out of use in the 4th century), the Christians of Ostia made some improvements to make it exceptionally church-like, installing an apsidal space behind the altar and adding traditional Christian iconography (the chi-rho and the alpha/omega)

Detail of apse

Christian iconography


But the really neat part about this bath complex--and its namesake--is a neat Mithraeum (eastern god worshiped across the Roman empire in the imperial era) located almost directly below the church.

Situated at the end of a long underground communal dining area is a grand statue of Mithras slaying a bull (the original is in the Ostia museum, this is a replica), bathed in the same type of light that it would have been during the height of Mithraism in the Roman Empire. Now it's probable that the Mithraeum was out of use by the time the space above it was converted into a church, but I can find no evidence that the statue was ever moved or that this area was blocked off. It makes one wonder about the relationship between Christianity and the mystery cult of Mithras in Ostia during the late antique era...

Anyhow, after wandering around the bath complex for 15 minutes speculating on usage changes based on brickwork (LMW has beaten that topic into both of our heads), we wandered down to the Baths of the Seven Sages, notable for its colorful latrine paintings of the traditional seven sages of antiquity imparting rather useful advice.

As an example, let's take a look at Solon of Athens. Above his head (once you zoom in), you'll see the Latin phrase VT BENE CACARET VENTREM PALPAVIT SOLON. For those of you lacking Latin (or even if you have had some, this language certainly does not show up in Wheelock!), it can be translated as "In order to shit well, Solon rubbed his belly." Seriously. One more?

In advice to the constipated, the painting reads DVRVM CACANTES MONVIT VT NITANT THALES, which can be translated as "Thales advised that those shitting with difficulty should strain." My favorite (which did not come out that well in a photo), is the one for Chilon (VISSIRE TACITE CHILON DOCVIT SVBDOLVS) "The cunning Chilon taught to fart silently"


Ah bathroom humor...just one way we can be united with the Romans.


(also, whenever I teach ut-clauses again, these are TOTALLY going to be examples)