Latin Literature and Culture: Aquae Sulis

What's the Latin for Bath?

Aquae Sulis

What goddess was worshipped there?

Sulis Minerva

What rooms did the bath complex have?

tepidariun, caldarium, frigidarium

What were the underfloor water pipes made of?

Lead

What's the Roman underfloor heating system called?

hypocaust

What objects have been excavated from the spring?

Gold jewellery, jugs, goblets, coins, curse tablets

What's the Latin for curse tablets?

defixiones

How were these decorated?

Magic nonsense words, backwards writing, symbols of death

In the temple to Sulis Minerva, how was a mystical atmosphere created?

Bronze statues & decorations, fires burning

What were defixiones made of?

lead

What is Minerva the Roman goddess of?

wisdom, medicine, crafts

Why was the spring at Bath considered special?

It was hot, bubbling and with mineral-rich water

A carved head, from the pediment of the Aquae Sulis temple, is of what?

A gorgon (Medusa)

What did people think the waters of Bath could do?

heal

What was at the centre of the Aquae Sulis complex?

The hot spring

In front of the temple to Sulis Minerva was a courtyard - what was in the middle of this?

An altar

Give 3 reasons why people visited Aquae Sulis

To worship the goddess, visit the baths and seek a cure for ailments

How would visitors worship Sulis?

Make sacrifices, throw offerings in the sacred spring.

Why would people make offerings to Sulis Minerva?

To thank her for a prayer granted/ to receive an answer to a prayer