The history of the bathhouse
The bathhouse appeared in ancient times; its history dates back to the period of mankind’s exploration of fire. The prototype was a hearth in the middle of a primitive dwelling. When water accidentally splashed onto the hot stones, steam appeared. Ancient man felt the pleasure of moist heat.
According to another version, the history of the steam room begins with natural thermal springs. Ancient people warmed themselves in hot water, enjoying the warm steam and cleanliness of their bodies.
South American Indians steamed in a clay “sweating chamber” - temezcal. They built it near waters for washing and cooling. Something similar exists in modern Guatemala.
Among the ancient aborigines of North America, the steam room was a wigwam with hot stones inside, which were sprayed with water to generate steam.
Important! This method is used today in hiking conditions by geologists and tourists.
The Scythian history of the appearance of a steam room among ancient nomadic tribes is described by Herodotus: they built it from three poles, covered it with skins or felt. The ancient Scythians steamed with ritual dances, inside the tent they threw heated stones and hemp into a cauldron of water, and in the clouds of steam they beat themselves with brooms.
The history of Ancient China and India reveals that the bathhouse appeared in the 12th century BC, when baths of hot water with herbs and fragrant compresses began to be used for hygienic purposes.
Japanese sento is structured according to a different principle and is distinguished by its ancient traditions. She has a very high temperature. The man steamed, alternately plunging into barrels with very hot water, and then with sawdust heated to 60 degrees. After warming up, there was a massage with oils and a tea ceremony.
The history of Ancient Egypt tells about the appearance of steam rooms of complex design: from below, huge stone boulders were heated by fire, from above they were doused with hot water and steam. Visitors to the steam room were given a massage with oil and incense on warm stones.
The bathhouse of Ancient Greece had a similar device. History reveals what place it occupied in the culture of the ancient Greeks. Due to the high cost of heating, it becomes public, completely displacing private ones. The ancient Greeks, having proclaimed the cult of the human body, visited it every other day.
Roman baths were brought to perfection by ancient masters; these are luxurious cultural and entertainment complexes, decorated with marble, sculptures and fountains. In addition to the steam room, it included many rooms and premises of different directions:
- for relaxation and rest;
- massage rooms;
- pools for ablution and swimming with different water temperatures;
- libraries;
- sports grounds;
- interest clubs;
- GYM's.
But the steam rooms themselves were used by the Romans as medical procedures prescribed by a doctor; ordinary visitors used them infrequently.
The advent of central heating of the hypocaust system made it possible to change the temperature and humidity of rooms remote from the firebox. This allowed visitors to get used to the increase in temperature gradually, choosing the most comfortable conditions for themselves.
The history of the hamam comes from the ancient Roman baths. Optimal temperature and high humidity in steam rooms promote profuse sweating. A Turkish hammam has a more beneficial effect on the skin than a Russian bath.
In the harsh Russian climate with extremely low temperatures in winter, it is problematic to heat large rooms. This explains the history of the compactness of the steam room in Rus'.
Attention! The traditional Russian bath, due to its high temperature, is considered a powerful pacemaker.
The ancient Finnish sauna is a traditional bathhouse in Rus'. What we are used to seeing in modern urban life only vaguely resembles a Russian steam room. An electric oven is more economical and safer. It takes up little space and easily maintains a constant temperature, which is why it is installed in apartments.
Bath in Ancient Greece
In Ancient Greece, the bathhouse also left its unique mark. Even Alexander the Great, after his campaigns against Egypt, returned home and demanded that bathhouses be built similar to those in Egypt. The baths here were built in the form of small round buildings, in which the open fireplace was located in the middle of the room. And large stones laid in it could heat the entire steam room for a long time.
Baths in Greece gradually improved. Baths or swimming pools began to be installed in them. Over time, the walls began to be decorated with expensive materials made of stone and metal. This is how rich and comfortable baths arose for noble people who enjoyed all the privileges in society.
Who invented the Russian bathhouse
The history of the Russian bath is one of the most ancient. Its appearance dates back to the birth of the Slavic tribes.
Although the Russian bathhouse is still a collective creation, its roots are connected not only with the ancient Slavs, but also with the Finnish, Ugric peoples and ancient tribes of hunters of the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia.
When did baths appear in Rus'?
The bathhouse appears in the history of the Eastern Slavs in connection with the veneration of ancient pagan gods. There is a description of how a bathhouse was constructed by the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea (early 6th century).
In the “Tale of Bygone Years,” an ancient historical monument from around 1110, the monk chronicler Nestor documents that the bathhouse appeared in Rus' already in the 5th-6th century.
Comment! The history of the appearance of the word “bath” dates back to its mention in the chronicles of the 11th century, before that it was called mylnya, vlaznya or movnitsa.
There is historical information that tribute was taken from conquered tribes with birch brooms.
For what purpose was the bathhouse invented?
For ancient pagan beliefs, the bath is associated with overcoming evil, worshiping the elements of fire and water, and only then with cleansing the body. All stages of the life of the ancient Slavs are closely intertwined with ritual ablutions.
Ancient Greek doctors discovered how the bathhouse has a beneficial effect on human health. The monks of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra confirmed the healing effect of hot steam. Already in the 10th century, the first healing “institutions for the infirm” began to appear - a bathhouse with a hospital for the sick and suffering. The Russian steam room brings relief from joint diseases, radiculitis, coughs, colds and skin diseases.
Known in history, Dobrodeya - the granddaughter of the Russian prince Vladimir Monomakh - was famous for her knowledge of healing with drugs from medicinal herbs. She emphasized the importance of cleansing the body and recognized how beneficial the Russian bath is, without which “I wouldn’t be healthy.”
The Russian bathhouse treated all diseases, not only physical, but also spiritual. The bathing of spouses after the wedding night was considered obligatory. The bathhouse was the place of birth and the first days of life of the baby with the woman in labor. After the funeral or fortieth day, they went to take a steam bath, symbolically washing the deceased before God. The Russian tradition of washing a guest “out of the way” is widely reflected in the history of ancient folk tales.
In villages, almost every family had its own home bathhouse, and in the city public bathhouses became very popular.
Traditional Russian bath
Ancient manuscripts reveal the history of the construction of bathhouses in Rus'. Initially, the Russian bathhouse was a low hut with a small window under the ceiling. All cracks were carefully sealed with moss and resin. Inside the room there was a barrel of water and a fireplace made of stones in the corner. The door was tightly sealed to prevent steam from escaping. When the fire heated the stones, they were sprayed with water. Bundles of branches were waved around the body, increasing the heat around it.
Important! A Russian bathhouse was always built on the shore of a reservoir or near a well, so as not to experience difficulties with water.
Throughout history, the Russian bathhouse has undergone minor changes.
- The place of the hearth was taken by a stove-stove for a third of the hut.
- Wide wooden sunbeds appeared.
- A pipe with a damper was added, but this is an even later invention.
In ancient Rus', the bathhouse was called mylnya or vlaznya. The history of the word is explained by the method of washing: the steam room was located right inside the oven. After cooking, the coals and ash were shoveled aside, the hot stones were lined with straw, on which the steaming person lay. Having gotten used to the heat, he sprinkled water on the roof of the stove and carefully fanned himself with a birch broom.
Later, the Russian bathhouse became a separate building, similar to a smoke hut. Preference was given to places on the banks of rivers, so as not to carry water from afar. This is where the history of the Russian tradition comes from: after a fever, cool down by diving into an ice hole, or dousing yourself with ice water. To avoid fires, the bathhouse was always built at a decent distance from the home.
The Russian bathhouse is heated with hardwood firewood, mainly birch. A boiler was heated on a fire in the room, and smoke was released through a hole in the roof or through a door. Tar and soot settled on the walls of the room, which gave it the name “black.” It was believed that tar disinfected the air. This bathhouse had a bactericidal effect and had a beneficial effect on healing colds and skin diseases.
The history of the appearance of a stove-heater with a chimney and a damper led to the ability to regulate the temperature and humidity inside a steam room, eliminating soot and soot. The Russian bathhouse became clean and “white”.
The steam room began to be equipped with wide sun loungers of different heights. The lower shelf was used for washing, and on the upper lounger under the ceiling, where the temperature rose very high, men steamed. The middle level was occupied by women with children.
Comment! A stone bath appeared in 1090; before that, all buildings were made of wood.
How did you wash then?
In Rus', public bathhouses are gaining popularity under Peter the Great, who himself loved to take a steam bath and contributed to the Russian bathhouse becoming famous abroad.
In large cities, the public “trade” bathhouse was visited by noble merchants and nobility for the sake of relaxation and communication. It became a place where important matters and political issues were decided and news was exchanged.
The Russian bathhouse was heated weekly, and people usually took steam on Saturdays. It is difficult to call such a washing process a complete cleansing; ancient ancestors rarely used soap and used specific products:
- soap root (soapwort);
- ash (lye);
- vinegar.
The Russian tradition of drinking kvass, honey or beer after the steam room took root; they were also sprinkled on the hot stones of the steam room for aroma. And at the end we rested for a long time over a samovar of tea with herbs.
The Russian steam room has always been valued for its influence on the health of the body. In 1733, the first medicinal bathhouse was opened with the permission of the Moscow chancellery with a ban on drinking strong drinks in it.
In Rus', it was customary to take a steam bath at the same time with the whole family and children. Separate public baths appeared only in 1743 by decree of Empress Catherine the Great, prohibiting the joint bathing of men and women, except for children under seven years of age.
European travelers fell in love with the Russian steam room. It was not for nothing that foreign doctors associated the heroic Russian health with the habit of hot steaming and dousing with ice water.
Not all foreigners are able to withstand the heat that a Russian bath gives, so they steam at a lower temperature.
The great Russian commander Alexander Suvorov, a lover of hot steaming, arranged this pleasure for soldiers on military campaigns. In post-Napoleonic times, the Russian bathhouse began to actively spread in the territories liberated by the troops.
Initially, the bathhouse in Rus' consisted of one room where people washed and steamed. Sometimes there was a separate locker room where we rested after the steam room. Over time, the steam room and washing room were separated and began to be equipped with rooms for relaxation, a font or a swimming pool.
The cult of the bath in Ancient Rome
The ancient Romans generally valued all bath procedures and even elevated the bath to a special cult. Here they not only washed and had massages, but also organized special rooms for reading books, studying poetry, and drawing. Quite often, sports training sessions and even competitions were held in the baths.
Ancient Roman baths
In a word, the Romans preferred to relax in the bathhouse not only with their bodies, but also with their souls. The great healers of that time argued: in order to get rid of illness and get sick a little, you need to be clean in body, have a bright, strong spirit, adhere to a certain diet and engage in moderate physical activity. These statements are more relevant today than ever.
The rich rulers of Rome spared no expense to build the most luxurious baths. The most expensive materials were used in architecture, which were imported from different countries. Very often, Roman baths (therms) were decorated with fountains, sculptures, columns and various paintings on the walls. Many of them even surpassed the palaces and “noble apartments” of rulers in their beauty.
In terms of its technical equipment, the baths can be considered high-tech structures of their time. In the latest versions of the baths, a central heating system with floor and wall heating was developed and widely used. All rooms were heated in this way: relaxation rooms, massage rooms, washrooms, steam rooms, rooms with a swimming pool.
Water was supplied through special water pipelines, and the sewage system was arranged in such a way that all water was drained through gutters into the central system. Small baths were heated with ordinary wood, and large “bath complexes” even used oil for heating.
Bathhouse among nomadic peoples
Among the nomadic peoples of antiquity, bathhouses are very similar to yurts. Long sticks were tied at the top with ropes and distributed obliquely. This entire structure was covered with animal skins. Inside, in the middle, they placed a cauldron with water and herbs.
Outside, on a fire, stones were heated and thrown into the cauldron. For nomadic peoples, such a collapsible design of baths was very suitable, as they could transport it to any distance. Agree, the device and principle of heating are very similar to a modern camp sauna.
Bathhouse among nomadic peoples
We learn the history of the bathhouse of distant antiquity from archaeologists. For all nations, the bathhouse served to cleanse the body and was a hospital. Under the influence of hot, humid air, the bodies were massaged and pressure was applied to the softened muscles with varying amounts of force. The healing properties of steam were used by the first people. The desire to thoroughly warm all the bones is very human.
