Ancient Rome was applauded for their intricate aqueduct systems that transported water for hundreds of miles throughout the empire. An advantage that Romans had with this aqueduct system were the Roman Baths.
Many men and women of higher class would frequent the Roman Baths. They allowed these patrons to not only enjoy bathing in the caldarium (hot bath), the tepidarmium (warm bath), and the frigidarium (cold bath), saunas and massages, but also provided availability to exercise and sports facilities along with other recreational activities.
Roman work schedules usually started around sunrise and ended close to noon. Men would visit the baths to allow enough time to relax before dinner, enjoying one anothers company and conversation. Women used the baths during the men's work hours. Mixed gender bathing was usually prohibited. Which women profited from bath houses?
It was not unusual for Romans to bathe publicly. Because they bathed with the same sex, there was nothing to be ashamed of. There was less of a taboo about being nude in front of one another in Ancient Rome and no one viewed it as embarassing or inappropriate. Most people did not even attend for bathing purposes, but instead to socialize.
The Ancient Roman's bath houses resembled today's spas and club houses offering pools, baths, hot rooms, locker rooms, fitness centers, and beautiful courtyards. Why do people feel the need to go to a spa to relax? Ancient Romans and modern day working class seem to think that there is nothing wrong with pampering yourself after working hard or just because you can!
Relaxation is important to a person's well-being. Lowering stress also lowers heart rate and high blood pressure, which could seriously affect one's health. Stress can lead to depression, obesity, sexual dysfunction, and other complications. Relaxation and exercise keeps the mind and body healthy and prevents such complications. Ancient Romans knew the importance of keeping the mind and body happy and healthy and that trend has become even more important in today's society. Fitness, relaxation, and one's own happiness is the key to looking good and feeling good. The Ancient Roman's were smart enough to capitalize on this human desire and modern society was smart enough to keep the trend going.
Ancient Roman's were the first to start the trend of relaxing pools, massages, and other facilities that allowed the working class to escape from their day to day responsibilities and enjoy the company of others in their community while soaking in a warm pool, strolling through a beautiful garden, or burning off some stress by exercising. The trend has lived on even now and has become more popular than ever.
Many of us know the story of Oedipus. It's the story of a king, Oedipus, who kills his father and marries his own mother, all without him knowing the truth. When the truth is exposed, his mother/wife kills herself and he blinds himself.
Summary
"Oedipus the King" 430 BCE was written by Sophocles. The play is an Athenian tragedy in which that main character, Oedipus the King of Thebes, discovers that he has unknowingly killed his birth father and married his own mother. His city of Thebes had been devestated by a plague and the only way to rid the citizens of their suffering and cure the plague was to drive the murderer of Laius (Oedipus' father) out of Thebes. Oedipus sought out the help of a blind prophet who revealed that Oedipus himself had been guilty of the murder. When the King shared this info with his wife, Jocasta, she says the prophecy was wrong because Laius was supposed to be murdered by his own son. Laius' baby was cast out of Thebes and Laius was murdered by bandits. As more details unfold, Oedipus realizes he did, in fact, murder Laius....he has only learned half the truth. Later in the play he finds out that Jocasta and Laius had given up their baby because they had been given a prophecy that their child would kill them. Here is where the play reaches full circle and all of the truth is revelead: Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. Upon learning this, Jocasta hangs her self and Oedipus stabs his eyes with gold pins from Jocasta's robes until he is blind. The play ends with Oedipus cursing his life and blood streaming from his eyes.
This play is philosophical because it is based on knowledge, nature, and existence. It investigates the truth, which in this case is the truth of the prophecies and explores both sides of a coincidence. Oedipus is a tragedy, in which the characters downfall is because of a flaw in the judgement or character. The play was both written in Ancient Greece and set in Ancient Greece (though it was set in a fictional setting.) It is written as a play in a somewhat poetic style, because of the almost regular rhythm.
Authors, composers, and even psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud have drawn from Sophocles' Oedipus the King - including incest, killing one's own father, and the theory that children naturally lust after their mother or father during the phallic stage or psycho-sexual development.
I've always been interested in this story because I admire Greek Mythology, Philosophy, and Psychology (the Oedipus Complex.) In high school, we had to analyze this play and I thought it was so clever. Did you know Oedipus means "swollen foot"? This is relevant to the story in revealing Oedipus' own identity (his ankles were bound together when he was cast out of Thebes and he suffered a limp from this injury as an adult.) How the play makes a full circle when all is explained in the end is incredible!! Every detail in the beginning of the story adds up to make a mind-blowing ending and makes for a play that went down in history as one of the greatest tragedies ever written. The irony, politics, sex scandal, and murder made for a play that is still admired today.
To mummify is to preserve and though we are no longer preserving our dead in modern funeral homes across the United States, we are preparing the bodies for the after life.
Embalming has been practiced in many cultures, including our own. The most memorable culture who practiced this technique was the Ancient Egyptians. The steps they used in Ancient Egypt have greatly influenced embalming practices for modern day funerals and burials.
Ancient Egypt 1) The body is cleansed fragrant wine 2) The brain, stomach, liver, lungs, and intestines are removed and dehydrated. The heart remains in the body for the afterlife. 3) The body is stuffed with mineral salts to dry out the body. 4) 40 days later, oil and Nile water are applied to the skin. 5) The dehydrated organs are placed back in the body, along with sawdust and linens to make the body appear life-like. 6) Fragrant oils are applied and the body is wrapped in linen Read How It's Done!
Modern Day 1) The corpse is washed with disinfectants. 2) The organs are no longer removed. Instead embalming fluid (preservatives and disinfectant agents) are injected into the body to temporarily avoid decomposition. 3) The organs are evacuated and the fluid is removed. 4) The body is manipulated to look natural and peaceful 5) Other chemicals may be used on a case to case basis to further achieve a life-like look. For More Info on Modern Day Embalming.....
Other similarities include burying the body with its favorite possessions such as clothing and jewelry. Make up is often applied to allow the body to carry on its physical appearance in the after life. This process allows the body to stay preserved long enough to achieve the desired burial.
Other cultures other than Egypt are known for embalming or developing techniques to preserve their dead. The Han dynasty in China, a German scientist, and even game and fish experts have practiced, perfected, and improved the embalming process since Ancient Egypt's influence.
