The Only Roman Bath Still Used Today

[@impguardwarhamer]

traveling half way across the world to visit a bath but forgetting your swimming shorts has got to be one of the most hilarious blunders I've ever heard

[@SubTroppo]

I am in tune with this kind of memory lapse - especially for a tour leader. One has to maintain some dignity in order to foster the discipline of those under your "care". [ "I am not going to accept orders from that lump of lard (did you see him?), and I will get on the bus in my own time']

[@kholt1776]

Yeah, I imagine he never intended to bathe

[@savvageorge]

Should have gone in naked, this is how the Romans would have originally bathed.

[@DanielJamesEgan]

@@kholt1776that was my guess. It’s easier to just say you forgot than to explain to strangers that you are uncomfortable in that situation without coming off as insulting.

[@chasbodaniels1744]

What is wrong with you people? We’re learning about an ancient Roman facility and you’re small-minded enough to insult and speculate about our “host’s” motives? Pretty sad!

[@Wyattinous]

Honestly I'd see it worth sacrificing a dry pair of pants to dip in that water. Carrying on a life long tradition of communal bathing in such a beautiful Roman bath 🛁 truly a once in a lifetime experience ✨️

[@yeahokbuddy2510]

You wouldn’t wear pants if you truly wanted to live a Roman bath tradition. According to your pfp you should know this.

[@gregpendrey6711]

The water was suspect?

[@TheBooban]

Not allowed to go in with pants. Barbarian.

[@jw451]

Yeh i would have just jumped in in underwear. Gez Romans weren't prudes they'd strip right off and plunge in. Do realise its a muslim country and you'd get no such thing there or woe to you when the religious police arrive 😁

[@fractalmadness9253]

We don’t know what happens off camera.

[@kittyprydekissme]

Usually when you see Roman ruins in North Africa, they're surrounded by desert. I really liked seeing what the fertile parts of Algeria look like. In Roman times, I assume much more of North Africa looked like that. The Sahara has been expanding since the end of the last Ice Age. I guess the reason so many of the more impressive ruins are in the desert is because the cities were abandoned as the climate got dryer, whereas in the more fertile areas, they were often torn down and built over.

[@VitaKet]

I was kinda shocked how beautiful it was there.

[@fractalmadness9253]

And it’s amazing that Roman creature comforts made it all the way to the fringes of the empire.

[@bozomori2287]

​@@fractalmadness9253 north africa is not the fringe of the empire ! It is like new jersey and new york

[@anteversus8471]

Where did you see that the Roman ruins were located in the desert, they are all surrounded by green hills or meadows in Algeria, the Roman limes stopped in front of the desert, the desert never interested the Romans. The cities were not abandoned for climatic reasons but because of the Vandal invasion that defeated the Byzantine successors to the Romans and ruined the cities..

[@bozomori2287]

@@anteversus8471 The intact ruins are in dry highlands. In Algeria we dont have year round green meadows except for a couple of river valleys. The landscape indeed becomes a vibrant emrald green, only after rain. And it dries up if rain doesnt fall for more than 1 week. The big ruins lay in areas that have less rain than they used to. There are few ruins who now lay in straight up sand dune desert. Desertification cant be denied. Climate is in constant change. The dry era of the Sahara is ending. A new wet era is starting they say. The Roman administration was aware of the trans saharan trade maintained by the camel herding desert tribes. It is speculated they sent at least one expedition before.

[@Mfields4517]

Its totally crazy that a Roman bath in England is directly related to one in Turkey, Tunisia and Algeria. The Roman empire was huge.

[@falconeshield]

Yeah. It's why E M P I R E

[@CreepyPlanter]

I noticed that the overall personality of men in all those countries is so similar. I get along with them so well compared to northern Europeans, Asians or Black Africans

[@Yosh-wt4lg]

@@CreepyPlanter thats the stupidest thing i've read today

[@Mikke-G]

​@@CreepyPlanterit's probably more to do with IQ than the Roman empire

[@margaretrowlands8162]

Have a look at a map!

[@borealis.in.georgia]

Love that everyone was so friendly to you

[@keithtarrier4558]

Indeed.

[@africanlipplateandbonenose3223]

we must reconquer the east

[@mospeada1152]

Be different if they were a female... or other!

[@spongebobby6027]

What do u mean bro?😭​@@mospeada1152

[@Mkalikapisa-ui7by]

@@mospeada1152 not at all. I've met real friendliness in Algerian baths

[@totobeni]

man goes to se the roman bath, man forgets to bring bathingsuit, man don't take bath.

[@fanroche8573]

if man had been a woman and women were allowed this would not have happened

[@PonyOfWar]

Wouldn't have been an issue in Roman times!

[@DanielJamesEgan]

My guess is that he was not comfortable in that situation and saying you forgot your suit is easier than trying to explain why you are uncomfortable without seeming insulting.

[@yeahokbuddy2510]

In Colorado we have dozens of hot springs where you can be naked

[@EM2theBee]

You didn't need a suit back then.

[@chrisbibb]

There's a small thermal spring Roman bath in Manilva near Gibraltar that is still used today. It was reputedly used by Caesar. It's very atmospheric and set under a tile built canopy that you descend down into, with cave-like channels to explore. The only downside is the sulphur smell. Definitely worth a visit if you're nearby!

[@EdwardM-t8p]

Four empires: Roman, Spanish, Napoleonic, British. The Brits still own it!

[@kenseal]

@@EdwardM-t8p Britons please not Brits. and no the Manilva baths are miles away from Gibraltar. The clue is in the name. Manilva is a Spanish town.

[@nigelsheppard625]

​@@EdwardM-t8pYou forgot the Moors. It's now part of the United Kingdom, it's not owned. Rule is by consent.

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

@@nigelsheppard625 Also forgot the Visigoths. They held most of modern day Spain from about the early 500s up until the Moors invaded in 711.

[@annakeye]

*@chrisbibb* Which Caesar?

[@chumba421]

Hearing about the people doing cannonballs for the camera made me so happy lol

[@GnomaPhobic]

Some things really are just universal, I guess.

[@jonrumney743]

I live near sabinillas, Spain, we have one here, still very much in use 😎

[@johnrooney507]

Does it have a name? More details would be appreciated.

[@brianmckeever5280]

What a spectacular historical place!

[@benko8829]

In Slovenia we have Rimske terme, which means roman spa. And they were built by the romans and are still in use today. However they are very different from what they used to look like.

[@vladmarc1213]

So do we in Romania, they are called "Baile Herculane" meaning Herculane Baths, and they are still in use today. In fact, they are a popular tourist destination.

[@benko8829]

@@vladmarc1213 wow crazy how romans left such interesting buildings across their lands.

[@HehehehawMonkey]

Ejjj Slovenc

[@madanyarizona1031]

I am actually an Algerian from the city where this hot spring is, in Khenchela. The water is great and it’s always been well preserved. Around 2012, the government started working on the baths to clean them up and restore them again. Today it’s pretty great too. I’d recommend going there between late November abd March. 1 2 3 Vuva L’Algerie 🇩🇿

[@beejls]

Do they have baths for women?

[@ZiyadDyingtricycle]

French?

[@Zenkrypt]

@@ZiyadDyingtricycle many algerians speak french due to its history of being a former french colony, and was once a territory of france, until it became independent.

[@ZiyadDyingtricycle]

@@Zenkrypt didn’t they kill a million Algerians though? Why would they keep speaking the language of their former occupiers ?

[@Yosh-wt4lg]

@@ZiyadDyingtricycle A million algerians?! source?

[@kacperwoch4368]

I happened to visit Pamukkale a few years ago. Back then I did wonder if the large bricks and column drums in the pool I was sitting in were real or just decoration, now I have the answer.

[@FitzRabbits]

Just incredible. Thank you for sharing Garrett.

[@whiteglovepc]

Northern Algeria is beautiful. Wow

[@sashamoore9691]

Barely…

[@CrackingCody]

Yeah I would have gone through the trouble of going all the way to the last active ancient Roman bath, of which you never know when it may close or be destroyed, I would have at minimum rolled my pants up to dip my legs in. At max, taken off all my clothes minus pants and just jumping in anyway.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

Just take off everything - the Romans did . . .

[@the_son_of_man]

My guy am algerian muslim and i really hate how liberal it is.. meaning for you Algeria now is the most safe place...bars.. alcohol...tourism..you name it.. don't be afriad to come here..we are proud of having poeple interested in our country

[@Greyalien587]

@@the_son_of_manyou hate how free it is?

[@electryc03]

I knew the Roman Empire was big, but this way out of the way town, getting this treatment by the Romans, is amazing. I also never knew Algeria had such green areas, always thinking it was dry desert like.

[@hadgadma3589]

it is 2,381,740 KM2, 2 million is desert, and 381,740 is fertile, and hills, and mountines, we dont have river, just the the northern part which is fertail, is the size of germany, which is biger then the british island, we have hot summers, we have snow winter, we beautifull beaches, many are hidden behind, mountines and forests, welcome to visit

[@rips93]

Algeria is like 200km from italy, literally on the mediterranean sea! It was an important part of the roman empire, and still have some of the best preserved ruins. The only thing making you say that is the misconception of it being a desert (which is most of its territory) but Algeria is the biggest country in Africa, and the green northern part is similar in size to countries like germany or france ..

[@electryc03]

@@hadgadma3589 It has some beautiful areas. Now I know why those french overstayed their visit.

[@arxiii]

Lived here all my life and I've never been to the desert, you could go all your life just sticking to the fertile 20% of the country and you won't explore all of it, it's that big

[@philipstrachan6212]

When i saw the headline i was already to contradict with, 'ah, but what about the baths in North Africa?' Yes, i visited the Tunisian baths in 1986 on the motorbike. Missed the ones in Algeria. People might be very surprised by N. Algeria. It is very green as you say, and was actually colder there than it was in the UK at the time. Thanks for posting.

[@RickLowrance]

Of all the people of which I have ever known, you are, hands down, the most accomplished traveler.

[@Erik3E]

minus the forgeting to swim in the pool becouse you forgot your swimsuit :D

[@larsrons7937]

Thanks for the video. I'm glad to see footage from that extraordinary journey you all had.

[@wardarcade7452]

4:08- Interesting how the Romans used the local deities in that Algerian hot springs alongside their own. They did the same thing in the British hot springs of what's now called Bath. I guess to get the locals to feel they were part of something bigger via being part of the Roman Empire.

[@spyczech]

Also an older worldview where other peoples god's weren't neccesarily Fake but could be made to co-exist in a new pantheon

[@Cre80s]

So amazingly interesting. Such beautiful countryside to drive on the way, and 2 hours was pretty quick (by American standards). I can relate to forgetting one's bathing suit, but I personally wouldn't have been able to resist dipping my feet in it, at least. And the locals seem so friendly and keen on outsiders coming to appreciate the site. Great video.

[@JP-su8bp]

Thank you for sharing the highlights of your trip.

[@godisgooey]

Splendid! Certainly worth the detour. It’s hot where I am in the world but that hot mineral bath looks quite inviting.

[@DonariaRegia]

Are there any temple ruins nearby? The Romans typically built temples near springs, possibly downhill with an underground conduit to channel water for rituals. If there are such ruins it would be reasonable to suspect votive offerings buried around the foundation. One may find artifacts, like a terracotta ear or bronze foot bearing inscriptions.

[@paoloviti6156]

It could be very possible as you stated and if done serious archeology around it would be would be come out very interesting discoveries...

[@scenicroutestothepast]

There was a small shrine to the nymphs of the spring incorporated into the baths.

[@Stevie-J]

@@scenicroutestothepast Is it appropriate for anyone to leave any offerings at those small shrines? Sorry for how ignorant this question might be. Thank you for any response

[@thedstorm8922]

​@@Stevie-J I Did not know the Roman religion is still alive lol

[@lukesmith1818]

Awesome to see how far you've come and that you're staying true to your passion. So many times people are told to give up at the first hurdle but you persisted and found another way

[@violettabicycletta331]

Thank you for a truly beautiful video on a treasure from the past !.

[@gregorykinsey8135]

What a superbly done video! Thank you very much!

[@postblitz]

Having a continuously running hot water spring for 2000 years+ is a blessing. Having two is a miracle.

[@Ash-zz2rf]

Love your channel. There's always so much interesting info. I live in Tunisia and last weekend took my family to Dougga and prior to that, or course, I watched your video about visiting Dougga :) Now I'm thinking about visiting Hammamet Mellegue sometime, although it's really far away from Hammamet, where we live. But I definitely would like to visit Le Kef region, never been there. Keep up the good work!

[@danasandlin2435]

very interesting to see an original Roman bath still in use today...thank you, dts/usa

[@SpaceReptilioid]

This video is a treasure trove. I'm always fascinated by Roman history & always thinking about attempting to revive the Roman empie & make it greater than ever!

[@mrguystarr]

Great video... excellent story and background.

[@Red_Snapper]

“We adore springs of hot water as divine, and consecrate certain pools because of their dark waters or their Immeasurable depth.” - Lucius Annaeus Seneca Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome 4 BC - AD 65

[@markadams7597]

This is a great review. Thanks for sharing. I particularly like the videos of the baths and the drive through Algiers. Never been to Africa, so videos like yours are very interesting and helpful. Keep up the good work!!

[@pattiniamo10]

As a Roman man, I loved this video. Grazie mille amico.

[@abmindprof]

Nothing as well preserved as this, but in Dorres, in French Catalonia near the Spanish border town of Puigcerdà, there are Roman springs, with a small tub that is said to date from that time. It's nowhere near as well preserved as these but it's a lot more accessible.

[@hedgiecc]

Amazing! What a trip, thanks for sharing 🙂

[@MikeGill87]

I'm ging to Tunisia in September and want to spend about two or three days in NE Algeria. Though the transportation gives me a headache as well. I badly need a good taxi driver to take me from Annaba at least to Guelma.

[@rips93]

You can take a shared taxi at the inter-wilaya taxi station, if you want to be more comfortable, you can take the whole taxi for yourself, the price would be high by algerian standards, but its like 20-30 dollars max.

[@v.g.r.l.4072]

As always, your video makes the viewer reflect on the depth of history. I wonder when we shall enjoy a third book by you.

[@geoms6263]

i don´t belive for one second you forgot swimming suit

[@theallseeingkats6321]

I woulda jump in my street clothes to expeirence that😊

[@adsdentiste]

🤣😂👍

[@carlosimotti3933]

Budapest has roman baths as well. Not sure if they were continuously used or brought back to use like those in Baths. Also the baths of Ficoncella, near Civitavecchia (Rome) were rather bathing pools, not full thermae, but used as such and still are today, completed with some roman remains. Lots of springs in Italy have roman ruins of pools and baths and are still used or are natural fresh water oasises. I especially suggest the Springs of Clitumnae, near Terni, Umbria. A one hour drive from Rome

[@kaloarepo288]

I think the Turkish bath is a direct heir of the Roman bath dating from when the Turks took over Asia Minor - they even introduced the idea to Hungary during their occupation and there are still such baths there but I don't know if they are used as such -but there is a magnificent 19th century bathing complex in Budapest which is bound to have been inspired by them.

[@macrinus-mauri]

Well, Baths, in General, are an ancient innovation that appeared for the First time in the Indus Valley in Modern-day Pakistan around 3300-1300 BC and found their way to Persia, Mesopotamia, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, and Greece so there were Baths in Asia Minor and other parts of the Middle East way before the Romans.

[@kaloarepo288]

@@macrinus-mauri But the Romans took them to a whole new level of grandeur and sophistication as they did with so many other things like bridges and aqueducts. You can see this in the incomparable and lofty splendour of such venues as the baths of Diocletian (Now Santa Maria degli Angeli church) and the Baths of Caracalla. The technology of cement allowed them to build so splendidly. There was a railway station in New York City that was built in imitation of one of these bath complexes but unfortunately it has been demolished!

[@bozomori2287]

​@@macrinus-mauriyes public baths are older than rome

[@anotheryoutuberperson38]

Yes, Eastern Romans intermarried with Seljuks. This is in the genetics of the modern Turkish population in the western provinces.

[@kaloarepo288]

@@anotheryoutuberperson38 I should imagine that the genetics of the Turkish population would not be that different to that of Greece and the Balkans especially considering the population transfers post World War One when any Greek of Muslim religion was transferred to Turkey and considered Turkish and vice versa any person of Asia Minor of Orthodox religion considered Greek and transferred to Greece even if genetically not Greek.

[@cirkmannzirkel8229]

A great find! Thank you Garrett!

[@이李우기]

Holy cow, sure this area was a breadbasket for the Romans but actually seeing this country at ground level... it just looks completely different from anything you could imagine from a satellite image.

[@majukanumi9639]

The issue is that the inscriptions in the hammam are solely in Arabic, which is inaccessible to many since the region is predominantly Amazigh. To be inclusive, the signage should also be available in English, French, Amazigh, Arabic

[@rips93]

Its fine, everyone in there understands arabic.

[@susannebrunberg4174]

It's unbelievable today for me, but I have actually been to Algeria. We visited the capitol Alger.

[@crybuny]

I’ve been to the Roman baths in bath England it’s so beautiful

[@gregburkhart9764]

Excellent! Thanks.

[@PeculiarNotions]

Thank you for sharing this awesome story.

[@lornamorgan3575]

You can't use the original baths in Bath due to pathogens. They have built new structures that use hot springs minus the pathogen. Natural hot springs are great. That, along with history, is what makes Naples and the surrounding bay a great holiday.

[@tinkertoke]

There is one you can bath in actually & can be hired. It's called the Hot Bath & is across the road from the modern day spa. Obviously its not the original spring water, but it's the original bath. Very small, so only for groups up to 10

[@lornamorgan3575]

@@tinkertoke I had seen that one.

[@CyberMatt85]

great video, thank you!

[@stevenphillips3466]

Awesome , I would love to go see this ...I will eventually

[@Romalvx]

As always your information about the Romans is the best! I may also suggest you to visit Sofia, Bulgaria. When I visited, I waa told that Sofia’s spas date back to the Roman age, as well. It’s definitely worth a trip!

[@Sujowi]

Green is not the colour I expected Algeria to be…beautiful!

[@R.J._Lewis]

You tell a hell of a story.

[@glenrich-uu9zr]

The marvelous Roman Bath, nostalgia for ancient times, even unbelievable it is functionable that you can have the same luxuries of Roman citizens today's.

[@amandarusso7808]

My roller coaster of emotions listening to this: Roman Baths still exist 😍They are in North Africa 😭They have a women's bath 😄

[@phoule76]

Cool spot! There's a small, room-temperature bath on Ischia off of Naples that claims to be ancient, too, and is still in use, although no ancient structures remain.

[@chrisregister8021]

What a beautiful life ❤

[@morgan97475]

Fantastic!

[@jaymichalczak4136]

Women couldn't use it? What an advanced culture.

[@NadaAlawadhi]

Algeria is a Muslim conservative country, men and women can’t bathe in the same pool together.

[@amhhalguernaz]

2:39

[@AtomickPixel]

Gender separated baths is not something new. Some bath's were just "men's bath's" and women would go to different one. Just like men's barbershop and women's hair salon. Different needs, different services, different prices and culture. Male only spaces have different aura.

[@pezlover1974]

How chivalrous for the men not to forego bathing so the women could use the bath, then…

[@sawzz3303]

Please respect other's culture. Don't act like a lunatic.

[@chrisrea7347]

Thanks, very. interesting. I believe that several Roman era baths in Bulgaria and maybe Romania are also being restored.

[@StefanNaehrlich]

Many thanks for the video

[@MTGnEWbie420]

the bath in herculaneum romania are still intact and with water

[@TattooedTraveler]

Ah man, would have jumped in with my boxers then went commando the rest of the day.

[@johnreynolds5407]

Marvelous.

[@DrTenochtitlan]

The Roman Baths of Baden-Baden, Germany were rediscovered and restored in the mid-1800s. Today, Baden-Baden is one of the biggest spa towns in Europe due to its Roman baths. In fact, the word "baden" literally means bathing, as even hundreds of years ago people were well aware that it was once the site of a Roman bath. The baths date to the time of Caracalla, though the actual springs were named for Emperor Alexander Severus.

[@gozitan5]

Thanks 👍🏼

[@MS-jm7me]

There's one on the Costa del Sol used by hundreds every year ....it's at Casares and has a river feeding it

[@dangerdoberman]

Remember to enjoy things while they last. A civilization is never too big to fall.

[@5ll3x]

What a find!

[@jamilabagash149]

Viva Algeria!!

[@sashamoore9691]

Ur country has gone to shxt

[@jamilabagash149]

@@sashamoore9691 Israel?

[@mrright1068]

Very cool and worth a visit. I cannot believe you went all that way and did not take a swim suit. I am guessing there was no store close by to get one either.

[@kidmohair8151]

I wonder what the legionaries who did the first restoration, would think if they could see the baths as they are today. (I suppose there were restrictions on what one could disport oneself in at the current bath. and as there were women with your group...that could be sticky)

[@prinzenrlle4212]

hamam sarıkaya yozgat turkey is also a roman bath that is still active

[@joshuawatson1902]

I went to a bathhouse in Budapest that had been in continual use since Roman times. Only a small part was original. It was off the beaten path, not one of the tourist spots.

[@jcominp3295]

También tienes el Balneario de Alange, cerca de Mérida, España.

[@gearyb9870]

Your info is incorrect. There are at least 20 natural thermal baths outside Rome, Italy used since antiquity. I once went to the one at Tivoli near Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa. The water looks milky, and is 23 degrees Celsius, making it refreshing for a summer day. It's minerals leave your skin feeling delightfully silky. From Rome you can get there by bus. They have dressing rooms. It's fun to take a picnic there.

[@PatriceBoivin]

I think there may be one still at Rennes-les-bains in Southern France and in... Bath, UK

[@kendalljennings3417]

This is very cool! Do you know if there are times for women to use the baths, or is it only for men?

[@anteversus8471]

In the spa complex there are three pools for women, but I don't think this outdoor pool is used by them.

[@DavidEdelsohn]

Both pools were caldarium? Or was one the tepidarium? Where was the frigidarium?

[@scenicroutestothepast]

This bath didn't have the traditional frigidarium - tepidarium - caldarium plan. Because the water was heated by the spring, I guess you could say that both of the main pools were caldaria.

[@darrenkeenan8307]

Awesome!

[@SubTroppo]

This video reminds me of a trip some years back to Hungary where "Wellness" (in english) connected to thermal establishments was all the rage. I have an abiding memory of people in bathrobes smoking cigarettes. ps Did the Romans have an equivalent of the rubber duckie?

[@lesliea7394]

Amazing!

[@andrewmills6212]

baths still used in Cyrenica I took a photo :)

[@Mike_Malloy]

With plans to visit the baths, how did you manage to forget your bathing suite?!?

[@IanZainea1990]

Amazing

[@ernshaw78]

Is there going to be more chance of the Roman baths being more accessible? 3:09

[@sashav133]

Are the famous baths of Tiflis in Tbilisi not Roman?

[@justinw1247]

Actually, there is a Roman bath in Spain that is still in use as well.

[@howardanon7433]

cool video

[@goldenturtle111]

There is still a roman era bassin in Rennes-les-Bains, southern France.

[@schaufelwerker]

sowy mister i have question :) how can you drive a once in a lifetime way to the only roman bath still running and not bring swimwear? =) Such a nice place. Its years ago i thought about visiting a far place ty for inspiration

[@theodoresmith5272]

What about the ones in spain on the northern border of Portugal? I bathed there.

[@Nimrawid]

I'm shocked how Northern Algeria looks different from south which is basically a giant desert. I'd go there to check out but my nationality is on some Algerian blacklist and getting visa is too much of a pain...

[@mistervacation23]

Thanks Rabbi Glickman

[@AseykinNews]

wow ! when is the next trip and how do I sign up ? )

[@maxasaurus3008]

I think it’s great that you embrace the blue collar label “American KZbinr”. Right on Professor, right on.

[@abfab2517]

You have Roman bath in use in South Morocco.