User:Keegan Sud-Tost/sandbox

Introduction:
The Nemea bath is an athletic bathing house at the Panhellenic sanctuary of Nemea in the Argolis.

Location
The baths are located on the south most part of the Hellenistic complex. They directly west of the similarly dated Xenon, which served as Athlete's lodging.

Dating of the Site
Thought the sanctuary itself has existed since the Archaic period, a date of the 4th century was first proposed during the 1926 excavations given the position of the site. Subsequent finds seem to suggest that the construction of the baths were part of a larger 4th century monumentalization program at the site. An adjacent 4th century aqueduct that does not appear to feed the baths further supports a post 4th century date. Furthermore, a small Classical trench may be thought to suggest an earlier bath which once occupied the same site. The strongest evidence of the 4th century century is the presence of period pottery in the foundation.

Physical Description
The bath itself is divided between a west wing with a series of basins and an east room which was an open bath. Both of which are elevated and accessible beneath a flight of stairs. Under these stairs a terracotta pipe served to let drainage off to a small compartment and then to the river. The source of the water is a matter of contention. It is speculated to have come from a yet unknown aqueduct. Channels and reservoirs to leading the bath itself do survive and suggest a more complicated system than direct delivery. One postulation is that this was to allow the water to heat in the sun before being used in the baths, or else just control temperature.

Function
Along with the Xenon, the bath served as amenities to Nemean athletes during the Nemean festival.

Disuse and Later History
The bath seems to be used used by the 1st century AD as evidenced by a layer of silt in the bath. This abandonment predates the end of the Nemean games in 275 AD, perhaps suggesting the general decline of the site. Through the end of the pagan context of the site it served as a trash heap. Early Christians turned the temple of Zeus into a Basilica in the 5th century AD and used the open chamber of the bath house as a repository for the dead; three burials have been found thus far.