The Baths of Licinius Sura or ''Thermae Suranae'' were a private

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

bath complex built by

Lucius Licinius Sura Lucius Licinius Sura was an influential Roman Senator from Tarraco, Hispania, a close friend of the Emperor Trajan and three times consul, in a period when three consulates were very rare for non-members of the Imperial family, in 102 and 107 AD a ...

on the

Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; la, Collis Aventinus; it, Aventino ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the sou ...

(

Regio XIII Aventinus The Regio XIII Aventinus is the thirteenth 14 regions of Augustan Rome, regio of imperial Rome, under Augustus's administrative reform. Regio XIII took its name from the hill which dominated the region, the Aventine Hill, Aventine. Geographic ex ...

) in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. They were restored during the short reign of

Gordian III Gordian III ( la, Marcus Antonius Gordianus; 20 January 225 – February 244) was Roman emperor from 238 to 244. At the age of 13, he became the youngest sole emperor up to that point (until Valentinian II in 375). Gordian was the son of Anton ...

. The baths were damaged during the 410 sack of Rome by

Alaric I Alaric I (; got, 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃, , "ruler of all"; c. 370 – 410 AD) was the first king of the Visigoths, from 395 to 410. He rose to leadership of the Goths who came to occupy Moesia—territory acquired a couple of decades ...

, and again restored in 414. The baths probably served a more affluent community than the

Baths of Caracalla The Baths of Caracalla ( it, Terme di Caracalla) in Rome, Italy, were the city's second largest Ancient Rome, Roman public baths, or ''thermae'', after the Baths of Diocletian. The baths were likely built between AD 212 (or 211) and 216/217, durin ...

, and were smaller and probably more elegant. Although now no ruins remain, their approximate location was: , and are partially shown on slab VII-14 of the ''

Forma Urbis Romae The ''Forma Urbis Romae'' or Severan Marble Plan is a massive marble map of ancient Rome, created under the emperor Septimius Severus between 203 and 211. Matteo Cadario gives specific years of 205–208, noting that the map was based on pro ...

'', numbered as fragment 21a by E. Rodríguez Almeida. Their location must have been in the immediate vicinity to the west of the church of Santa Prisca, near the Temple of Diana, with the arches of the

Aqua Marcia The Aqua Marcia ( it, Acqua Marcia) is one of the longest of the eleven aqueducts that supplied the city of Rome. The aqueduct was built between 144–140 BC, during the Roman Republic. The still-functioning Acqua Felice from 1586 runs on long ...

which fed them, passing right along the site of the current church. On the ''Forma Urbis'', to the north of the baths there is also a temple of uncertain identification, perhaps the

Temple of Luna The Temple of Luna (Latin: ''templum'' or ''aedes Lunae'') was a temple on the Aventine Hill in Rome, dedicated to Luna, the moon goddess. Its dedication was celebrated on 31 March. According to Tacitus, Annals, XV, 41.1 it was built by king Ser ...

or the Temple of Vertumnus, both of which were republican.

References

L Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Rome R. XII Ripa {{Italy-struct-stub

See also

References