Roman Baths o Ankara

The Roman Baths o Ankara are the ruint remains o an auncient Roman bath complex in Ankara, Turkey, whilk wis unkivert bi houks cairrit oot in 1937-1944, an hae subsequently been appent tae the public as an appen-air museum. Histerie The baths is locatit on a plateau, tradeetionally kent as Çankırı Kapı, whilk rises 2.5 metre abuin the wast side o Çankırı Caddesi, aboot 400 metre frae the centre o the auld Ankara destrict o Ulus, an haes been identifeed as a höyük (tumulus), wi Roman, mixt wi Byzantine an Seljuk, material at the tap an Phrygie settlement material at the base. The auncient ceety o Ancyra stood at the crossroads atween the East and Wast an, outthrou the Roman period, the ceety's strategic location led tae its rise tae prominence as the caipital o the province o Galatie. Tae the east of this plateau ran a roadway frae the ceety's saucrit precinct, the aurie o the Temple o Augustus, a section o whilk, flankit bi seicont or third century grey-veinit mairble columns wi Corinthie caipitals, wis unkiverit in the construction o Çankiri Caddesi, in the development o Ankara intae the new Turkish caipital in the 1930s. The baths wis constructit in the third century by the Roman Emperor Caracalla (212-217), wha forby constructit the Baths of Caracalla in Roum, in honour o Asclepios, the God o Medicin, an built aroond three principal rooms: the caldarium (hot bath), the tepidarium (warm bath) an the frigidarium (cauld bath) in a typically laid-oot 80m x 120m classical complex. The baths wis in uise up til the aicht century whan thay war connacht bi fire leavin anelie the ruins o the basement an first fluir. The adjacent höyük (tumulus) wis excavatit bi Prof. Dr. Remzi Oğuz Arık in 1937 revealin the Phrygie an Roman remains. General Director o Museums Hamit Z. Koşay an field director Necati Dolunay admeenisterit further houks, fundit bi the Türk Tarih Kurumnu (Turkis Histerical Society), whilk revealit the bath biggins in 1938-1939 an fou exposit them in 1940-1943. The houks' airchitect Mahmut Akok investigatit an drew a reconstructit plan o the baths afore thair restoration wis begun. Prof. Dr. Arık cud date the construction o the baths tae the reign o Caracalla by coins foond in the houks supportit bi contemporary inscriptions, whilst mair coins myntit the baths wis in continuous uise for aboot 500 year, undergang repair frae time tae time. References