Rome: Baths of Diocletian

We visited the Baths of Diocletian on Saturday.  It was much more impressive than we could have imagined.  We started at the Michelangelo Cloister - built after his death so more likely 'in the style of..'.  It has graceful arches and a fountain surrounded by gigantic sculpted animal heads.

Michelangelo's Cloister

Elephant & Rhino heads

There is a Museum of Epigraphs contained in the complex and ancient epigraphs have been essential to piecing together life in ancient Rome.  It was interesting to see things like a legal contract for public works carved onto a large slab of marble, but we didn't spend too much time there because after you've seen one carved contract in Latin you've seen them all (unless you're scholar of Latin, history, etc. - and thank you scholars for your work).
The most impressive sight was one of the remaining halls of the original baths.  The sheer vastness of the hall is what is was so amazing.  The Baths date from the 3C. and once encompassed an area of nearly 17,000m squared holding about 3,000 'bathers'.  There were some reconstructed tombs inside the hall and seeing the paintings and decoration inside the tombs reminds you that human beings have always wondered about the after life and envisioned it as an extension of life on earth.   In the picture below you will see Alan - that will give you a comparison for the area the hall encompasses.

Inside of a reconstructed tomb

Remaining hall of the baths