The Essential Roman Baths

by Stephen Bird

The Roman Baths at Bath is the best-preserved ancient baths and temple complex in northern Europe. It is here, at the heart of the World Heritage Site of Bath, that the only thermal springs in the UK emerge from deep underground, bringing health and vitality to this beautiful city. In the first century AD, the Romans chose this site to build the most dramatic suite of public buildings of Roman Britain. At the Roman Baths visitors can see in-situ remains and ornate architectural fragments of the magnificent Temple of Sulis Minerva, goddess of the thermal spring, and the remarkably well-preserved bath-house frequented by residents and pilgrims nearly 2,000 years ago. Also on display are coins and curses thrown into the Sacred Spring as petitions to the presiding goddess, inscriptions recording local people and well-travelled pilgrims, and numerous other treasures unearthed through archaeological excavations over the past 300 years. The Essential Roman Baths is the brand-new authorised guide to the

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction, Art, Architecture, British Literature, Roman Britain

48 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2007

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Courtney]

Learning about the Roman Baths was even more fascinating than I could have imagined! I never knew until after visiting that the site of the springs was initially used as a sanctuary dedicated to the Celtic goddess Sulis - later interpreted by the Romans as their goddess Minerva. Not only did travelers come from around the world to bathe and seek the health benefits of the mineral waters, but they also came to honor the goddess with precious possessions - or complain to her of wrongs committed against them and ask for divine retribution. By the time Jane Austen would have visited, the baths were already ancient!

[Simon]

Hard not to enjoy this book and the amazing photos that adorn it's pages, since having just visited The Roman Baths themselves. Only £5, be sure to pick up a copy when you visit!

[Sarah Coller]

I visited the Roman Baths for the third time in 2019 when my husband and I went to England. It was fun showing him around as they'd opened up/expanded on some areas since the last time I'd been. I bought this little book for just £5 and have finally gotten round to reading it. Makes me want to go back again! Hopefully soon...

The only surprising thing in this book was the mention of professional arm pit pluckers employed by visitors to the baths. In the words of my daughter's boyfriend: What the actual heck??

[Stephanie Anne]

My sister travels a lot for work and sometimes brings me back books! Given that we were both part of the classics club in high school, this was the perfect thing for her to get me when she visited Bath. Teenage me would have adored this. It’s a quick and fascinating read for someone who is not able to see the site in person. And the photos are absolutely gorgeous.

[Gustavo Barroso]

Um pequeno livro acerca do complexo dos banhos romanos em Bath. Um pouco redundante nos tópicos mas com imagens e pictogramas relevantes, que ajudam ao leigo a perceber a atividade tão querida aos romanos - a ida aos "banhos".

[Beverly]

Concise, but full of information. Read it after we had done the tour, which was astonishing in its own right. I first visited Bath in 1974/5. Much has been developed since this year's visit (2023) but the basic awe remains the same. What the Romans could accomplish!

[Lucy]

This was a really interesting guide that takes you through the history of the Roman baths in Bath. It was a great guide for the tour and complementary to the physical tour guided tour of the baths as well as a fantastic reminder of my visit to them.

[Rob]

An informative guide to the roman Baths of Bath.

[Steve Smits]

Picked up on a tour of Bath. Very informative. Helps a lot to understand the structure and uses of Roman baths.

[Erin]

I’ve been loving these souvenir books. Bath was honestly the highlight of our trip and these Roman Baths were an absolute delight

[Christopher]

An excellent guide to the Baths. Take the late evening tour if you can. The Main Bath is breathtaking at dusk when lit by torches.

[Red Rhum]

Great tour, one of the best I’ve been on.
This is a nice little accompanying boom.

[Tara van Beurden]

I did a day tour to Bath, Stonehenge and Windsor when I was in England, and stopped at the Roman Baths. My mum had been to England 25 years earlier and talked a lot about the Roman Baths, so I was interested to see them, and learn a bit more about some of the ideas about their healing properties. This book expands on that information, including reference to much of the Roman symbolism within the place. It’s a fascinating place that looks back to what started one of the most influential countries in the world. I also definitely recommend a visit to Bath itself – its very pretty!

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Perhaps the extra star is for the fact that I've actually been to Bath but I couldn't help it. It's so amazing to me to stand in this place that's existed for 2000 years and see just what the Romans were able to create. It's just fascinating. The guide itself is a brief overview of the Roman Baths but it's worth it for the photographs alone. There is such beauty in ruins, and this place is no exception. The city of Bath is also quite beautiful and wandering the city was an additional highlight.

[Jovy]

Bath is an amazing place. This book gives me historical information about the Roman baths, the roman goddess symbols, the 300 year history and changes and cool pictures too!

[Julie Bozza]

Beautiful photos, and the too-brief story of a fascinating location.