History
The baths remained in use until the 6th century when the complex was taken by the Ostrogoths during the Gothic War, at which time the hydraulic installations were destroyed. The bath was free and open to the public. The building was heated by a hypocaust, a system of burning coal and wood underneath the ground to heat water provided by a dedicated aqueduct. It was in use up to the 19th century. The Aqua Marcia aqueduct by Caracalla was specifically built to serve the baths. It was most likely reconstructed by Garbrecht and Manderscheid to its current place.
In the 19th and early 20th century, the design of the baths was used as the inspiration for several modern structures, including St George's Hall, Liverpool and Pennsylvania Station in New York City. At the 1960 Summer Olympics, the venue hosted the gymnastics events.
The baths were the only archaeological site in Rome damaged by an earthquake near L'Aquila in 2009.
Baths were originally ornamented with high quality scultptures, for example, among the well-known pieces recovered from the Baths of Caracalla are the Farnese Bull and Farnese Hercules and over life-size early 3rd century patriotic figures (now in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples). One of many statues is the colossal 4 m statue of Asclepius.
Read more about this topic: Baths Of Caracalla
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