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Afrigidarium is one of the three main bath chambers of aRoman bath orthermae, namely the cold room.[1] It often contains a swimming pool.[1]
The succession of bathing activities in thethermae is not known with certainty, but it is thought that the bather would first go through theapodyterium, where he would undress and store his clothes, and then enter theelaeothesium orunctuarium to be anointed with oil.[1] After exercising in a special room or court, he would enjoy the hot room, known ascalidarium orcaldarium, then the steam room (a moistsudatorium or a drylaconicum), where he would most likely scrape the by now grimy oil with the help of a curved metalstrigil off his skin, before finally moving to thefrigidarium[1] with its small pool of cold water or sometimes with a largeswimming pool (though this, differently from thepiscina natatoria, was usually covered).[citation needed] The water could be also kept cold by using snow.[citation needed] The bather would finish by again anointing his body with oil.[1]
Thefrigidarium was usually located on the northern side of the baths.[citation needed] The largest examples offrigidaria were both in Rome: that of theBaths of Caracalla, located soon after the entrance, measures 58 x 24 m, and that of theBaths of Diocletian, covered by agroin vault.[citation needed] Some, like one inPompeii, had a circular plan.[2][dubious –discuss][better source needed]
Italy initially had simple baths without tubs, thelavatrinae.[3] IncreasingHellenisation of Italy led to the development of bathing rooms and public baths.[3] Eventually, individual standing hot water tubs were replaced by collective pools and the development ofhypocaust heating.[3] This led to various types of heated rooms, including thecaldarium,tepidarium,laconicum orsudatorium, and thefrigidarium.[3]
There are examples fromHasmonean andHerodian palaces inJudaea (e.g.Jericho,Herodium), whereJewishritual immersion pools ormikva'otwere located in thefrigidaria of the private royal bathing facilities.[4]
A Roman octagonal bath-house, c. 14.5 m across, centered around an octagonalfrigidarium pool over 4 m across and with a largebrickconduit for supplying cold water, probably dated to 330–335 CE during the time ofConstantine the Great, was excavated at Bax Farm,Teynham,Kent.[5] It had been suggested that the octagonalfrigidarium could have been used forChristianbaptism or as a Jewish ritual immersion pool.[5][6]
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