The Bearsden Bath House is located just outside of Glasgow. It is one of the most well-preserved Roman sites in the UK and the floorplan of the building remains distinct, even though it is estimated to have been built sometime in the 2nd century AD. There are visible outlines of the seven rooms that would have been part of the original complex including steam rooms, hot and cold baths, and changing rooms.
Bathing was a popular activity for the ancient Romans. Bearsden Bath House is in close proximity to an old Roman military fort, presumably so that the soldiers stationed at this military base could spend their free time relaxing and cleaning in the water. What is probably most surprising to us is how communal the activity of bathing was. Only elite Romans could afford to have private bathrooms in their homes and so an ordinary Roman would have most likely attended thermae (communal bathrooms). A great deal of socialising also occurred in these bath houses as it would be an opportunity to catch up with friends, engage in political debate, and sometimes even secure business deals.
Artefacts found at this site can divulge a lot of information about the lives of ancient Romans in Britain. For example, the remnants of a board game called latrones was found here. This game closely resembles that of modern chess or draughts, as it is a two-player game that is played within a square grid. This game was presumably used to enhance logical thinking for military tactics. A female head, carved from sandstone, was also found close to the bath house. It is assumed to be a depiction of Fortuna, the goddess of good luck, whom ancient Roman soldiers often worshipped and sacrificed to in the hope of a victory before battle.
A somewhat less appealing, yet still equally as interesting, discovery found at Bearsden is human sewage. Modern science has allowed us to infer a lot about the diet of ancient Roman soldiers from this evidence. Wheat seems to have been a staple food for the Romans, and it was probably used to make porridge, bread, and pasta. They also seemed to have grazed on the wild produce local to the Bearsden area such as fruits, nuts, and celery. There is also evidence of an ancient food trade market passing through Scotland as imported foods such as figs, coriander, an opium poppy was also found in these remains.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Bearsden: A Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall by David J Breeze.
This is an open access e-book discussing everything there is to know about Bearsden Bath House and Fort.
Outlines the different excavations and archeology notes attached to Bearsden.
Brief and digestible leaflet introducing the fort and bath house at Bearsden. A nice introduction and good place to start if you are interested in knowing more about the site.
If you are interested in visiting Bearsden, this website offers information on how to get there and different event and tours that are going on.
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