Tahqiqāt-e Tārikh-e Ejtemā’i (Social History Studies)

Bathhouses and Thermae in the Iranian world; From the beginning to the end of the Sassanids era

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Sorena Firouzi 1
Seyed Rasoul Mousavihaji 2
Muhammad Amin Saadat Mehr 1

1 PhD student of Historical Archaeology, University of Mazandaran , Babolsar, Iran.

2 Professor of Archaeology, University of Mazandaran , Babolsar, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.30465/shc.2022.39780.2306
Abstract
In the contemporary view, washing culture is considered as one of the components of the evaluation of ancient cultures, and therefore, research on it is a necessity. The root of the subject, which is, the need to clear up, is the first step in examining the subject matter. Next, study on when and where the structures associated with bathing, originated, and how they emerged elsewhere, provides the basis for research. Then, the reason of founding thermae and the culture of washing with warm water are studied and their archaeological evidences are evaluated. In this paper, although according to an important principle in Zoroastrianism, the possibility of establishing and disseminating the culture of bathing in Greco-Roman thermae was not possible during the domination of this religion, but it does not mean that Iranians were far from the culture of cleanliness and for this, some, interesting documents are available. This can be proven even in special places for swimming. In fact, the varieties of Iranian and non-Iranian cultures in the Iranian plateau, does not allowed to judge one-sided in this field. The current article shows that in Zoroastrian culture, in addition to a method of creating a reasonable space to facilitate bathing with cold water, a type of thermae emerged that was different from the Roman ones. It was also stated that the culture of washing can be traced in the mythology of ancient Iran, and this can be the basis for some field-comparative studies in Archaeomythology.

Keywords

Thermae
Baths
Zoroastrianism
Archaeomythology
The Iranian Plateau

Extended Abstract

Bathhouses and Thermae in the Iranian world; From the beginning to the end of the Sassanids era

Introduction

One of the studies approaches in cultural archaeology is to study the level of attention to the subject of health and its understanding in general in ancient societies and important areas of human history, especially in cultures related to the third millennium BC and after that. These important regions are the Indus Valley, Central Asia, the Iranian Plateau, Mesopotamia, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Canaan, Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus, and the origins of the Etruscan and Latin peoples in Italy. Why and how man came to understand that he needed to keep his body clean is a secondary issue and how he linked it to his ancient religious concepts. Evolutionary behavioral ethics articles have been written on the importance of handwashing to prevent disease (Whitby, 2006: 484-492).

Gradually, such individual cognitive experiences became group experiences, and this led to the institutionalization of the principle of cleanliness and the need for washing. This article seeks to answer the following two questions:

  • Do archaeological evidence and the content of written historical sources show information about the influence and role-making of the culture or cultures of the people of the Iranian plateau in the formation of baths and baths from the Bronze Age to the Sassanid era?
  • Was there any sign of productivity in the Iranian-Zoroastrian culture, and if so, how different was it from the Roman examples?

 

Research Methods

In this research, the work is based on a chronological analysis of written source data and non-written and field documents related to architectural remains. The fact that this timeline analytical process can clearly show cultural influences from the first documented origin to other places is a common and well-known method in the study of history and archaeology.

Findings and Conclusions

Contrary to current popular attitudes and despite the religious problem of Zoroastrianism with Roman baths, the culture of bathing has been documented among Iranian, Zoroastrian, and non-Zoroastrian populations and spaces for this have been found in some places. In this regard, even the Zoroastrian rules had established special washing rituals to remove the elements of filth. In addition, the bath with the standard architectural structure attributed to Xerxes I in the southern quarter area of ​​Persepolis is not far from the baths of the Greek world. It was also stated that despite the Romanization of many of Dura-Europus' health facilities, documentary examples from the Parthian period have been reported in that city, and some from the cities of Hatra and Assur have either been reported or excavated. There is also evidence of the culture of bathing in the court of the local king of Persia and related to the late Parthian era. During the Sassanid rule and probably from the period of Shapur II or Peroz I or Khosrow I, a unique example of an aristocratic pool for swimming was created in the city of Kish, which also had a water inflow and outflow system. It was further stated that before the time of Khosrow I, Zoroastrian Iranians used to bathe in cold water, and this was done in the cold seasons of the year by heating the bath space (near the court and possibly the wealthy class with an interesting system of hot air flow from elsewhere. And on the ordinary floor with an ordinary oven or stove in place). In addition, it was said that the Zoroastrian challenge to the Roman baths, which had a religious appearance, was rooted in the unsanitary nature of these baths and their severe pollution, which was reflected in the Zoroastrian mentality as contaminating fire by reheating used water. Is. The reason for this claim is that from the time of Anushirvan, a compromise arose between the Zoroastrian rules and the issue of thermae, and the reason was the commissioning and construction of a new type of these structures based on keeping the water heating place away from the washing place and not setting the fire. It has been used again for water, and these two pillars were probably the basis of the structure of the baths of the city of "Weh Antiok Khosrow" and also the bath of the palace of Asbānbar (Taq-i Kasra). Also, the existence of a recommendation in Zoroastrian rules (Denkard VIII) to use baths for religious warriors after the battle and to calm them down in this way, as well as the establishment of rules for how to set up baths in private homes, clearly shows that most likely, From the time of Khosrow I, the Ēranshahri-Zoroastrian community had moved towards the widespread use and launching of the Iranian state of this health structure, both publicly and privately.

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Tahqiqāt-e Tārikh-e Ejtemā’i (Social History Studies)
Volume 11, Issue 2 - Serial Number 22
Autumn and Winter
March 2022
Pages 197-236

  • Receive Date 10 January 2022
  • Revise Date 30 March 2022
  • Accept Date 16 May 2022

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