Marble furniture in the termal area. The case of the Aquinum baths.

Abstract

The excavations of the central baths of the ancient Roman city of Aquinum have brought to light a series of marble fragments identified as pertinent to decorative and functional objects forming part of the sculptural furniture of the environments of this mighty structure. Up to now, the excavation has focused on the systematic study of the walls, the identification of the use of the rooms and the delimitation of the complex as well as on the search for entrances to the baths. The baths complex, divided between male and female areas, is one of the largest in Italy and currently has over 9000m². The work on the marble material focused on research, identification and study of the surviving marble furnishings recovered in the abandoned layers of the baths. From this first study, the main objective is to understand and complete, as far as possible, what was the approximate arrangement of the furniture object of study and how visitors were able to interact with these objects. From this first study several supports, tubs or riverbeds, monumental candelabra and a large number of small-format objects. Each of these objects is presented in a first catalog that finally gives protagonism to this type of findings for the central baths of Aquinum.

Keywords: Aquinum, central baths, marble furnishing, sculpture.