DESCRIPTION:

The bath compound is situated at the highest part of the Eustolios complex. Like all Roman and Late-Roman baths, it includes the three main bathing areas: the cold room (frigidarium), the warm room (tepidarium), and the hot room (caldarium), along with numerous auxiliary rooms such as changing rooms, etc. The baths also served as gathering places and were often combined with buildings for physical exercise, relaxation, and games.

Although small, the baths of Eustolios are of particular interest, especially with respect to the mosaic representations that adorned the floor of the cold room (frigidarium).

The large central room served as the cold room (frigidarium) (1). To the north and east, there were other cold rooms with shallow basins for footbaths (2). The like-warm bath (tepidarium) was located west of the cold bath (3). The time spent in this room helped the bathers gradually adjust their body from the low temperature of the cold bath to the next, hot bath, and vice versa. The hot bath (caldarium) was located further west of the like-warm bath and was the final destination for the bather (4). The spaces of the like-warm and hot baths were heated with the hypocaust system, a specially designed space under the floor that heated the floor and walls with hot air. The system was powered by a furnace (praefurnium), which directed smoke to the area under the raised floors, supported by small columns (pilae). Hot air circulated through wall channels, heating the parts of the buildings above the floors.