Roman Baths

When our girls were young, we took them on a trip through England. One of the places we especially wanted to visit was Bath, so we drove into the city and toured its famous Roman Baths.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Romans built an elaborate bathing and religious complex around Britain’s only natural hot springs. They called the settlement Aquae Sulis and dedicated its temple to Sulis Minerva, a goddess who combined local and Roman traditions. People came here to bathe, socialize, seek healing, and worship.

One of the most fascinating discoveries at the site was a collection of small lead tablets thrown into the sacred spring. People used them to ask Sulis Minerva for help, often after something had been stolen. One person complained about a missing cloak; others named suspected thieves and asked the goddess to punish them. These very personal messages allow us to hear the frustrations and hopes of ordinary people who visited the baths centuries ago.

Walking beside the Great Bath gave us the opportunity to introduce our daughters to Roman history in the place where it happened. The ancient pool, still supplied by naturally heated water, was no longer simply something described in a book. The surviving ruins and voices preserved on those tablets brought the people of Roman Britain vividly into the present.