Located near the village of Salkaya, this opulent, 800-square-foot complex featured underfloor heating, steam rooms, and multiple pools kept at different temperatures.
Anadolu AgencyThe bathhouse was highly sophisticated and may have once served a nearby Roman settlement.
In 2023, a farmer in Turkey uncovered a sprawling Roman mosaic while planting cherry trees on his farm near the village of Salkaya in Elazığ. After investigating the surrounding area, archaeologists have now come across another exciting ancient treasure: a 1,700-year-old Roman bathhouse.
Replete with cold, warm, and hot water sections, this bathhouse is both sophisticated and hints at a larger Roman history in the region. Archaeologists suspect that it once served a Roman settlement nearby or may have belonged to an elite family.
Discovering The Opulent Roman Bathhouse Near Salkaya, Turkey
According to the Anadolu Agency, after the farmer planting cherry trees stumbled across a Roman mosaic that depicted plants and animals like lions, boars, and leopards, archaeologists suspected that there might be other ancient remains nearby — and they were right.
IHA PhotoThe stunning Roman mosaic found by a farmer in Turkey in 2023.
The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, and the Elazığ Museum Directorate scoured the area near Salkaya using underground imaging radar (georadar), and soon detected a structure roughly 220 feet south of the mosaic. After excavating, they discovered that they had located an ancient Roman bathhouse.
About 1,700 years old, the bathhouse is roughly 800 square feet and includes sophisticated features like heated floors, as well as cold, warm, and hot water pools, sweat rooms, and channels for both clean and waste water. It used a heating system known as hypocaust (hypocaustum), which was popular among ancient Romans.
“When we look at the technical features of the bathhouse structure found, it also has the distinction of being the first of its kind within the borders of Elazığ. It is also important that this architectural plan has been preserved and survived to the present day,” said Emre Çayır, the archaeologist in charge of the excavation area where the bathhouse was found.
Anadolu AgencyArchaeologists excavating the Roman bathhouse, the first such structure to be found in the region.
“The sections we call the cold, warm, and hot sections have survived to this day through a fully systematic and planned engineering process. In this respect, we can say that the bath is a truly special and important structure.”
Roman History In The Elazığ Region Of Central Turkey
Though archaeologists haven’t discovered a full ancient Roman settlement in the area yet, both the mosaic and the bathhouse suggest that one may be located somewhere nearby. According to archaeologists, at least some of its residents were likely upper class and urban, and would have frequented the bathhouse near Salkaya.
“We discovered a Roman bath that belonged to the upper-level ruling class of that period,” Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Ahmet Demirdağ told Turkish media.
“It resembled our classical bath culture in terms of its characteristics, consisted of warm, cold, and hot sections, underfloor heating, and was a high-level structure in terms of the technique of the period. Looking at the findings, we generally believe that the area was an urban settlement. We will continue our excavations in the region.”
Anadolu AgencyArchaeologists suspect that the mosaic and the bathhouse both hint at a yet-to-be-discovered Roman settlement that once existed nearby.
The Romans swept through modern-day Turkey in the second century B.C.E., conquering the regions of Anatolia and Eastern Thrace. As such, archaeologists have found scores of Roman artifacts in Turkey — including throughout the last several years. They’ve recently unearthed gladiator arenas and libraries, and even unearthed a Roman-era trident from a local lake.
Given Turkey’s rich Roman history, and the discovery of both the mosaic and the bathhouse in Elazığ, it seems highly likely that a thriving Roman settlement once existed in the region. Researchers are now hoping that future excavations can help track it down and that, if found, it can provide more information about the people who lived — and bathed — in the area some 2,000 years ago.
After reading about the Roman bathhouse that was unearthed in Turkey, go inside the many factors that led to the slow but steady collapse of the Roman Empire. Then, learn about the Pax Romana, the fascinating period of Roman history marked by unprecedented peace and prosperity.
