The Roman baths of Bath

The city of Bath, in the south-west of England, is home to the only naturally hot springs¹ in Britain. The Romans, who valued (coi trọng; đánh giá cao) the healing properties² of the water, built a grand bathing and temple complex (quần thể; tổ hợp)³ around the spring in the 1st century AD, naming the settlement Aquae Sulis.

At the heart of the site lies the Great Bath, a lead-lined pool⁴ fed by water that still rises at a temperature of around 46 °C. Surrounding it were changing rooms, saunas and cold plunge pools⁵, reflecting the elaborate (cầu kỳ; công phu) bathing rituals⁶ of Roman society. Adjoining the baths stood a temple dedicated (dâng hiến; thờ phụng) to the goddess Sulis Minerva, where worshippers left offerings and curses inscribed on sheets of lead.

Decline and rediscovery

After the Romans withdrew from Britain in the early 5th century, the baths fell into disrepair⁷ and were gradually buried (bị chôn vùi) beneath silt and later medieval buildings. It was not until the late 19th century that the site was extensively excavated (đào bới; khai quật), revealing the remarkably well-preserved structures visible today. The Roman Baths are now among the most visited heritage sites⁸ in Britain, drawing more than a million visitors each year.