The lonely bather

We are at the end of this tour. On our way back to the cafeteria, for a well-deserved refreshment, two last monuments deserve a short inspection. In the facade of the Baths of the Trinacria a little nymphaeum was installed in the later third or in the fourth century. It is not, as would be expected, turned towards the street, but inwards.

The late-antique nymphaeum in the facade of the Baths of the Trinacria.
Photo: Eric Taylor.

On the other side of the street, opposite the nymphaeum, is a set of tiny baths. It can be entered only, with some difficulty, from the warehouse of the mensores. On the walls are plaster and marble revetment. It has been dated to the second half of the fifth century, while some modifications are from the first half of the sixth century. That makes it one of the last buildings in Ostia, from a period in which the city was almost completely deserted. Who built this miniature establishment and why is a complete mystery.

The interior of the tiny baths opposite the nymphaeum.
Photo: Jan Theo Bakker.

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