Sources of Ancient Healing Thermalism

Cicero ad Atticum 417.1

Way of Transmission
Literature
Datation
Around October the 28th, 44 BCE
Language
Latin
Literary Genre
Epistolography
Canonical Reference
Cic. Att. 417.1
Thermal Terms
balneum
Thermal Spa Related
Baiae

Dolabella, vir optimus, etsi, cum haec scribebam secunda mensa apposita, venisse eum ad Baias audiebam, tamen ad me ex Formiano scripsit, quas litteras cum e balineo exissem accepi, sese de attributione omnia summa fecisse.

The excellent Dolabella has written to me from Formiae, not-withstanding that, as I hear at the time of writing (which I am doing over dessert), he has arrived at Baiae. I received his letter when I came out of my bath. He says he has done his absolute possible about the transfer […]

Dolabela, hombre excelente, si bien cuando escribo esto, a los postres, oigo que ha llegado a Bayas, me escribió, sin embargo, desde su finca de Formias, carta que recibí al salir del baño, que él ha hecho todo lo posible sobre la transferencia.

Commentary

Dolabella is in Baiae. Cicero receives his letter in Puteoli or Cumae, after taking a bath.

Related Sources

Celsus 4.12(5).7

Recomendaciones para tratar el relajamiento o parálisis del estómago: recomienda aguas termales frías. Da a entender que balneumLugar para bañarse. Edificio acondicionado para el uso del agua en forma de

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Related Sources

Cicero ad Atticum 353.2

Cicero, after describing how he recieved Caesar at his villa in Puteoli, on the first day of Saturnalia, explains that the dictator was going to spend one day in Puteoli

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Plinius Naturalis historia 31.4

Pliny the Elder indicates the importance of mineral and thermal springs were for humans, and how in some occassions, these springs caused the creation of some urbes because the value of these waters for health. In this case, he includes the examples of some of those cities: Puteolos (Puteoli, Italy), (Aquae) Statiellas (Acqui Terme, Italy) and (Aquae) Sextias (Aix-en-Provence, in France)

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