Terme dei Sette Sapienti

The Baths of the Seven Sages (Terme dei Sette Sapienti (III, X, 2)) are located in the western part of Ostia (original port city of ancient Rome) and are a well-preserved example of a medium-sized Roman bathhouse from the 2nd century.

The baths were built under Hadrian and are situated between two blocks of houses. The center of the complex is a circular hall, which once had a dome. The floor features a black and white mosaic with hunting scenes. A cold bath was also located in this hall. Arches led from here to the other bathing rooms. A second room, a warm bath (Caldarium), is equipped with a mosaic depicting Erotes on seahorses, and in a third bathing room, a Frigidarium, the cold bath room, there is a wall painting of a bathing Venus. The bath was once richly adorned with sculptures.

The building is particularly remarkable, however, due to the good preservation of numerous wall paintings. In the Apodyterium (changing room), one finds images of the Seven Sages, identified by Greek inscriptions. Thales, Solon, and Chilon are still legible. Further inscriptions are more humorous: Thales makes a great effort for a cure for constipation. This room with the images of the Sages was originally a separate cookshop and was only later incorporated into the baths.