Zappeio Roman Baths: Ancient Roman Bathhouse in Athens, Greece

Visitor Information

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Country: Greece

Civilization: Byzantine, Roman

Remains: Sanitation

History

The Zappeio Roman Baths are located in Athens, Greece, near the modern Zappeion building on Leoforos Vasilisis Amalias.

The baths were likely built and used between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, a time when Athens was part of the Roman Empire. This period saw the integration of Roman architectural and cultural elements into the city’s infrastructure. They were rediscovered and excavated in the 19th century, during archaeological efforts near the Zappeion building. Since then, the site has attracted ongoing scholarly interest due to its connection to both ancient Roman Athens and the later neoclassical developments nearby.

Remains

The remains of the Zappeio Roman Baths reveal a complex typical of Roman public bathhouses. The layout includes several rooms arranged to support the bathing sequence, such as a frigidarium (cold room), tepidarium (warm room), and caldarium (hot room). This design allowed bathers to move through different temperature zones.

Construction used local stone combined with Roman concrete, a durable building material. Some mosaic floors have survived, providing decorative evidence of the baths’ interior. The site also contains remnants of a hypocaust system, an ancient underfloor heating method that warmed the hot rooms.

Today, the baths are partially preserved, with foundations and sections of walls still visible. These remains allow identification of the bathhouse’s functional areas despite the fragmentary condition.