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The Baths of Caracalla were Roman public baths, or thermae, built in Rome between 212 and 216 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla. The extensive ruins of the baths have become a popular tourist attraction.
The complex was 225 m (740 f) long, 185 m (390 f) wide and 38.5 m (125 f) estimated height, and could fit anywhere from 2000 to 3000 bathers. It consisted of a frigidarium (cold room), tepidarium (medium), and caldarium (hot room), as well as two palaestras (gyms where wrestling and boxing was practiced). Also part of the complex is an aqueduct (for the thermae or water reservoirs), where water was brought in.
The Caracalla bath complex of buildings was more a leisure centre than just a series of baths. The "baths" were the second to have a public library within the complex. Like other public libraries in Rome, there were two separate and equal sized rooms or buildings; one for Greek language texts and one for Latin language texts.
The building was heated by a hypocaust, a system of burning coal underneath the ground to heat water provided by a dedicated aqueduct. It was in use up to the 19th century.
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