Preliminary considerations on thermal spas in the Eastern Roman provinces. The case of Asia Minor

This paper aims at making preliminary considerations on thermo-mineral bath complexes in Asia Minor, where this typology of buildings until now was never analysed upon a comprehensive perspective. Even if the literary and epigraphic sources are not always detailed on this topic, they give us important clues in order to identify ancient thermal sites. But only archaeological data can help in reconstructing, whenever possible, their overall organisation, which differs in some aspects from the ‘traditional’ Roman baths. A selected number of sites having very dissimilar extent and features, located in various provinces of Asia Minor, will be taken into consideration: the Asklepieion of Pergamon, Allianoi, Hierapolis in Phrygia, Aquae Saravenae and İçme. The final goal is trying to outline, starting from these specific examples, the main characteristics of thermal spas in Asia Minor from the topographic and religious points of view.