Address: Porta Marina or Sea Gate
Suburban Terme or Suburban Baths were located
outside the city, 100 meters beyond the Sea Gate (Porta Marina). The
Romans were not afraid of invading enemies and therefore preferred
to build their baths on an artificial terrace outside the city wall.
The reasons for choosing this place were more aesthetic rather than
practical reasons. In ancient times, the sea was much closer and
visitors could marvel at a beautiful
view of the Mediterranean Sea. We added Suburban Therm Pompeii to Regio VIII however it is
outside the city limits hence the name Suburban Baths.
The
complex of Suburban Baths in Pompeii was divided into two floors. On
the first there were bathhouses, and on the second there were three
rooms that were intended for the workers, the owner and maybe even a
brothel. Although the latter is somewhat controversial assumption.
Unlike other baths in Pompeii, these baths were not divided into
male and female parts. Or they were intended only for men, or men
and women alternated in the use of this institution.
Suburban Baths is largely known for its fourth-style erotic
frescoes, located in the dressing room of the baths. The authors did
not skimp on the details and showed imagination in poses. Erotic
wall paintings in Suburban Baths are the only collection of such art
found in a public Roman bath. Explicit sex scenes (such as group sex
and oral sex) are depicted in large numbers in these paintings,
which are not easily found in the collections of erotic Roman art in
other regions of Pompeii, and indeed throughout the ancient Roman
Empire. In addition, there was depicted the only one in the image of
lesbian sex in the art of ancient Rome. The last image was found in
the early 1990s and this destroyed the hypothesis that Suburban
Baths served as a lupanar, i.e. brothel The original theory of these
frescoes was that these frescoes and Roman numerals under them
designated the services of local prostitutes. That is, it was enough
to give a figure and the priestesses of love served the client upon
request, but the fact that examples of unconventional sex scenes
were found here suggests that it was not a brothel.
The
paintings are located in the apoditrium, and each scene is located
above the numbered box (from I to XVI). Apparently the boxes
function as lockers in which bathers wear their clothes. It is
assumed that the paintings may have served as a way for the swimmers
to remember the location of their mailbox (instead of numbering).
The presence of these paintings in a public bath, shared by men and
women, gives some insight into Roman culture and suggests that
people would not find it offensive.
Much to our regret, the
Suburban Baths was one of the first buildings found in Pompeii. The
first archaeologists did not care about preserving the buildings.
They were interested in expensive things like statues, amphoras and
other examples of art that could be sold to royal houses. Therefore,
most of items from the Suburban Terme were stolen. All that was bad
and could be unscrewed was carried away and sold. Archaeological
excavations were finally conducted in 1958.