ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how vicissitudes influenced the development of bathing habits among the Roman populace and, to a lesser extent, of bathing arrangements. The factors that determined changes in bathing facilities, bathing culture and customs were numerous. Perhaps an even more important factor was the cost of fuel necessary to heat up not only a sufficient amount of water, but also the baths themselves; limiting both the size of bath-houses and the amount of hot water necessary for bathing could go a long way to create savings. The impact of bathing on the developing Christian discourse was considerable. Bathing appears on several occasions in martyrdom narratives, serving either as a backcloth to the story, or as a device in its telling. In the context of secular medical practice, bathing occupied a major role in the everyday regime for the healthy–at least for those concerned with the matters of health who had ready access to baths.
