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The Romans expanded upon the Greek concept of the bath to create an elaborate architectural masterpiece that has been described as a “microcosm of life.” The first Roman encounter with these phenomena is in the fourth century before Christ; they were established and reserved for the private use of the very wealthy. Eventually, in the second century BC, baths became more common, growing both in size and number; they also evolved from a private privilege to a leisure enjoyed by all of the people alike. As baths became more prevalent in society, a change in design and location of buildings in towns, and rooms in houses, was required. Although the structural and technological features of baths are important to the development of Roman architecture, the true significance of baths lies in the cultural influence they had on the personal, social and political aspects of life. The baths of the ancients were small, private and dingy; the attitude toward the bath was one of duty rather than one of luxury. In a letter, Seneca the Younger wrote of the bath of Scipio Africanus; he commented that Scipio’s bathing area was small and dimly lit. Unfortunately, archaeologists have not found any evidence of these early baths. Over