Ancient Rome
In The Roman Baths, by Fyodor Bronnikov, 1865
During Ancient Roman times, views on nudity changed as it became a symbol of embarrassment and shame, which conflicts with the modern concept of naturism. It shifted from serving as a practice through which people could improve and build respect to something that was reserved for artistic representations of heroes, deities, and the upper classes. However, not all was lost for naturism during this period. It gave rise to the development of a place where people would care for their bodies, while connecting with and showing mutual respect for other people and nature. This place was known as the ‘thermae’.
Influenced by the Ancient Greeks’ famous ‘balaneia’ from the Hellenistic period⁵, the Romans decided to develop a much larger facility that would serve the same purpose. While they did achieve this, the thermae also became a place for socializing. They created a dichotomy on the Ancient Roman narrative – on one hand, nudity was viewed as immoral, but when in the baths, it was accepted, respected, and shared by the majority of Romans. They had such influence in the Roman society that some can still be found intact in various forms of architecture, such as the nearby ‘Baños de la Hedionda’, as well as the remains of others.
A key difference between the thermae and the balaniea is that there were most likely no entry restrictions for the thermae based on gender. This would possibly make them the first place in history where this was allowed and also defied the customs of both the Ancient Roman and Greek societies. It would be unjust to not acknowledge what this means for modern naturism, as this lifestyle also tries to unite people based on similar practices and through the same links that the Ancient Romans (perhaps unknowingly) were creating. Like naturism, the thermae became a space in which the only determinants were tolerance and empathy.
⁵Alyson A. Gill, (April 2008) “Chattering” in the Baths: The Urban Greek Bathing Establishment and Social Discourse in Classical Antiquity. Proceedings of the 36th CAA Conference, Budapest, 2008
