Swimming

Everyone in Ancient Rome, especially the Roman youths, loved swimming as a sport. People would go to the famous Tiber river, which flowed right adjacent to the Campus Martius, to swim and unwind. Swimming was a significant Roman activity and pastime because it was a requirement for boys' education.

The legendary emperor Julius Caesar was an accomplished swimmer. All Roman youths often trained swimming in the Tiber, taking to his talents. It is also reported that certain ladies were skilled swimmers even in ancient times. Gaius Maecenas of Rome constructed the first heated swimming pool in the first century BC.

In Rome, bathhouses featured associated plunge pools, and later, separate swimming pools were constructed away from the bathhouses. Rome built a number of enormous baths, including the Baths of Caracalla and others. Between 212 and 216 AD, Emperor Caracalla constructed the Baths of Caracalla. It also included a library with volumes in Latin and Greek. Apart from the baths, the swimming pools were relatively modest. However, Caracalla's frigidarium was a unique structure with a footprint of 200 by 100 feet. Cicero allegedly grumbled about Pompeii's constrained capacity because it was barely 13 meters wide.

The 13 m x 8 m and 1.5 m deep Stabian Baths were a highlight of ancient Pompeii. On either side, shallow basins were added for washing off before stepping into the pool. Boys, athletes, and even Cicero participated in the fun at the Stabian baths during their free time.