Ancient Roman Bath with ‘Sophisticated Furnishings’ Uncovered in Cologne

An ancient Roman bath complex was uncovered during the construction of a new fountain in Cologne’s Neumark, the culturally and historically rich center of the German city, according to a report by Newsweek.

Gregor Wagner, an archaeologist with the Cologne’s Roman-Germanic Museum and head of the excavations, told the local newspaper Kölnische Rundschau the baths were part of a large, private residential building that was equipped with “sophisticated furnishings.”

Among those amenities were painted plaster walls. Heated floors in the bathing complex that would allow for the inhabitants to enjoy hot, tepid, and cold baths. A boiler room was also uncovered and likely used to heat air that would warm the floor of the baths from below, thereby controlling the temperature of the water. The floors themselves would have been elevated and supported by pillars in order to make room for the heating system.

This bath complex is the fourth to be discovered in Cologne, which was the site of a Roman colony founded in 50 CE that was known as Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, and just one of the many Roman-era ruins in the city. 

Ancient Roman baths are often found, or rediscovered, in Western Europe, almost all of which was under Roman rule from 27 CE through 476 CE. At the height of its power, the Roman Empire spread from what is now England to the coastal areas of Northern Africa, and from modern-day Portugal into the Middle East and Egypt.

Just last month a Roman bath in “excellent condition” was found in Mérida, Spain. In March an ancient Roman bathhouse was uncovered in two miles northeast of Yenne, a village alongside the Rhône river in Southern France after plans for a new house warranted an archaeological assessment. And last year, a Roman bath was uncovered at the archaeological dig of the Temple of Khnum, near the Egyptian city of Esna.