A new study has investigated the bathwater in the legendary and technologically advanced city of Pompeii, revealing that the oldest public baths were extremely dirty.
With the introduction of a Roman aqueduct in the 1st century AD, the city was able to refresh its water supply frequently. However, until then, early inhabitants had to extract water from wells, a labor-intensive process that limited their ability to change the water.
The study, published in PNAS, described early Pompeii bathers as swimming in their own filth after analyzing the carbonate deposits left behind in the city’s wells, pools, and pipes.
The water in Pompeii’s first baths was far from clean; it was contaminated with urine, sweat, and other organic matter, as the inhabitants washed with olive oil instead of soap. Moreover, there were no alternative locations to bathe.
This situation persisted for a longer period than one might hope, lasting from 130 BCE until the 1st century AD. Originally, Pompeii was an Oscan settlement, with the Romans arriving around 80 BCE. While the Romans became known for upholding high standards of hygiene, it evidently took some time to update the existing systems.
In its early years, Pompeii was anything but clean.
Really dirty bathwater
Geoscientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz examined the chemical composition of the water that once flowed—or sat stagnant—in the baths.
Ancient Origins reported that the researchers analyzed the carbonate incrustations, or the buildup in the city’s pipes, as well as deposits in the aqueducts and water towers built later on.
Surprisingly, one of Pompeii’s earliest public bathhouses indicated that the early city used enslaved people to lift water from wells and cisterns using a machine, according to Live Science.
Researchers noted, “The water could not be replenished more than once a day.”
Chemically, the study revealed a sharp decline in carbon isotope values during this period.
The chalky limescale indicated that the water in the notorious Republican Baths was heavily polluted. The authors of the study told Live Science that “the bathing experience in this small bathing facility was maybe not hygienic and, hence, not very inviting.”
Consequently, only the first person to arrive after the water was refreshed would have experienced a rare opportunity to bathe in clean water.
Later, however, the chemical composition of the water improved, as indicated by stable isotopes and trace elements found in the aqueduct.
The Romans fixed the water problem
The research team also discovered high levels of lead in the pipes of the bathhouse, as per Ancient Origins. While the contaminated water would have somewhat reduced these levels, it does not eliminate the grim reality of bathers encountering visibly filthy water.
Early Pompeiians likely had to “rough it” until infrastructure improvements allowed for more frequent replenishment of clean water. As a result, researchers suggest that early Pompeiians may have limited their bathing activities, opting instead to engage in conversation around the pool, as the public baths also served as social gathering places.
Though the Romans sought to improve these conditions, a separate study at Hadrian’s Wall found that the Romans could not always maintain the hygienic standards they were known for. Even for the Romans, infrastructure challenges were a reality.
