Roman love of bathing did not begin with the empire, but as the Principate consolidated its authority, monumental public baths were erected across the city. So why did Agrippa, Nero, Titus, Trajan, Decius, Caracalla, Diocletian and Constantine all choose to spend massive public resources to construct these buildings?

This video outlines why Romans were drawn to the baths and how this pastime more than almost any other has come to define our conception of their cultural extravagance.