The Roman aqueducts and bathhouses of Crete

Abstract

This thesis addresses the dynamics behind the introduction, diffusion and demise of Roman aqueducts and bathhouses in Crete. The study is essentially an archaeological and architectural exploration of these monument types with a view to understanding the implications of their spread and development on the island itself and, ultimately, to establish the island’s significance within a wider Roman context. Both types (aqueducts and baths) were examined due to their notable alliance in both construction and function; however, the focus on the binary connection between aqueducts and baths is not tantamount to an exclusive match or a denial of alternative factors but more an acknowledgement of the strength of their correlation. Indeed, Cretan aqueducts served a variety of sites which were devoid of baths including glass factories, dye-works, dockyards and even possibly mines. The primary investigation included intense fieldwork and archival studies which served to locate the monuments within their geographical, topographical and historical setting (as presented catalogues A and B). An unforeseen profusion of both monument types became apparent from even this preliminary procedure. In total, the present study has located at least 52 bathhouses and 23 aqueducts constructed between the 1st and 4th centuries AD on Crete. This constitutes a substantial proliferation of both monument types in an area with no obvious Hellenistic prototypes for such architectural formats.