Living in the twenty-first century, when people around the world are convinced that time is money, it is unlikely for “city people” or more specifically the working class, to have extra time to do anything apart from their work. This also explains why it may not seem to be a norm for “city people” to spend the whole day bathing. It does not mean that modern people do not care about personal hygiene; but most of us prefer quick and effective ways of cleansing. That is why we now have what we call “showers”, which often lasts fifteen minutes on average. In fact, Romans and Japanese are still known to be people who have always been fond of bathing. There is a long history and different cultural influences causing the differences of the bathing cultures of Romans and Japanese people. In this research essay, the reasons for the admiration of bath of the people from the two civilizations and two significant differences between the two bathing cultures will be illustrated.
Back in ancient Rome, people were fond of bathing since large public bathhouses, thermae, were places for them to socialize, to entertain themselves, and to cure sickness. To begin with, one of the most important aspects of the ancient Roman bathhouses was social. Since bathing processes took long, Romans would have invited their friends and gossiped the whole afternoon. Even for politicians, they would pay a visit to bathhouses to convince fellow Romans to agree with their principles. In addition, Roman males would hold business meeting at public bathhouses. Regardless of social class, it was not unacceptable for both the rich and the poor to share public bathhouses. In fact, it was easier to be democratic when Romans were discussing social issues naked, since when t...
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As a conclusion, both Romans like to spend time at bathhouses to socialize and to have fun, whereas the Japanese are fond of bathing due to the effects of religions and also due to the medicinal values of bathing. Both cultures enjoy relaxing in baths and also realize the healing power of bathing; however, the two cultures are still different in many ways such as the time bathers spend bathing and the openness of bathing. I personally have experienced bathing in Japan and in no doubt it was a joyful experience. If any chance, I would love to experience a Roman bath. Living in a fast-pace society, we could hardly stop working and relax in a bathtub. Learning how Romans and Japanese cherish their time spent in the baths makes me realize the importance of having a healthy life and most importantly, the importance of giving time for ourselves to start relaxing.
Roman men censured the fact that rich women were more concerned with their own figures and luxuries than with their families. Unlike the good, old-time matrons, according to the historian Tacitus around 100 CE, these modern women did not spend time with their childre...
In the play, An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen the people are in danger of becoming sick from a contamination at the baths. The baths are a body of water that is a natural spring that has healing properties to it for those who are crippled or have some sort of illness. Because of this, it is the main attraction in the town and the majority of the income is from the baths. The main characters of the play, Dr. Stockmann and his brother and mayor of the town, Peter Stockma...
The culture of Ancient Rome had a distinct way to entertain its citizens. Besides spending times at the baths, Romans found pleasure and delight in the games held at the local coliseum. These games were among the bloodiest displays of public amusement in the history of man. Professional wrestling and boxing today, do not come close to the disgusting horrors that the people of Rome took so much pleasure in observing. Although the games were very bloody and extremely brutal, often killing many men and animals, the Romans enjoyed the scenery of life and death being very near. Watching men fight and eventually die a dreadful death, is what fascinated the Roman population in great degree as the games were one of their favorite ways to spend their leisure time. The ancient Romans had a very bloodthirsty taste for entertainment exhibited in the form of gladitorial combat.
They had built latrines and bath houses. With the Romans having latrines and bath houses this meant they could regularly take showers, which would keep them clean. Also having latrines meant that the public did not have dispose their waste never their houses or where they kept the drinking water, which meant they were hygienic. The Romans had also built aqueducts for clean water to get to different parts of the country. The rich got clean water straight to their houses through lead pipe.
Lefkowitz, Mary R., and Maureen B. Fant. Women's Life in Greece and Rome. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2005.
It is very important to have all of the necessary bathing supplies in the bathroom before you bring th...
Sanitary conditions in the West were practically non-existent. In the cities, horse manure covered the streets. Housewives emptied garbage, dishwater, and chamber pots into the middle of the city streets where free-roaming pigs devoured the waste. The pigs left their urine and feces on the streets. It was not easy to wash clothes. Many people had clothes splattered with manure, mud, sweat, and tobacco juice. Privies, or necessary houses were often to close to the homes with a very noticeable odor on hot and/or windy days. If a family had a kitchen, all the members washed at the sink each day, without soap, rubbing the dirt off with a coarse towel. Eventually, many cold bedrooms had a basin, ewer (pitcher), cup, and cupboard chamber pot. Bed bugs and fleas covered many of the travelers’ beds. “Isaac Weld saw filthy beds swarming with bugs.” These insects followed the travelers, crawling on their clothes and skin.
Richlin, Amy (ed). (1992). Pornography and Representation in Greece and Rome. New York: Oxford University Press.
the leisure activities Pompeii and Herculaneum have shown the vast range of activities hat was available to all the people no matter if in the upper class or the lower class of society in Pompeii and Herculaneum
First the morals and values of the people were at a rapid decline towards the end of their empire. Crime was running ramped through streets of Rome and made it unsafe for the common folk. There were about 32,000 prostitutes that were readily available for senators, generals and basically all the big wigs of the empire. The emperors like Nero and Caligula became infamous for wasting money on lavish parties where guest ate and drank until they became ill.(http://kileenroos,com/1/Romefall.htm). The amusement was watching gladiatorial combats in the Colosseum. These events brought all classes of people; the rich and the poor sat in the same arena, which very rarely did this. This shows that the people of Rome were changing into this people that stop caring about what they once were.
The first appearance of the swimsuit was around 350 B.C in ancient Greece. The Greeks are known for their long togas, and often worn when swimming and bathing grew vastly popular ((“Women’s Swimwear History,” n.d.) It seems so strange to us to wear so much clothing while in the water, and soon the Greeks realized that the long draping togas were not ideal for swimming. A particular piece of artwork emerged that depicted Greek women in scantily clad bathing attire. This painting known as Ladies of Pompeii features Greek women running about in what look like modern day bandeau tops and bikini bottoms(Examiner, 2012). This swimwear was worn by most women, but it was not uncommon for women to bathe or swim in the nude. Contrary to popular belief, the practice of recreational swimming was quite popular especially among young women. With the Greeks being big time athletes, although there is not much evidence, it is assumed that they may have participated in certain water sports. Swimming continued for quite some time. During the Roman Empire the communal bathhouse was a place of business and socializing. After the fall of th...
These three articles give the modern reader a sense of what sexuality was in Ancient Rome. These articles reinforce that sexuality is important in human societies. They show that how you did or did not do sexual activity was very important and under scrutiny like in Western societies today. Though these articles are using limited resources to make conclusions, they do their best to help the reader make sense of sexual Roman society.
A home is a place to call one’s own. It is used for social interactions, shelter, and daily human maintenance. Houses also play a role in social structure. A person can be defined by the type of house they have because it symbolizes their income. This rule is active in modern and ancient civilizations. In Rome, housing was used to symbolize wealth and power: the bigger the house, the higher the status. Housing has always been a symbol of income and importance. In ancient Rome, this stereotype plays a significant role in society. Housing area and type outlined social classes, thus dividing the roman citizens and emphasizing different social groups.
The society of the ancient Romans has often been considered the bases for our modern society. When one thinks of the Roman society, pictures of grand villa's and of senators wearing Toga's come to mind. Also, Roman society is often associated with great feasts and extravagance among the rich. There is more to Rome, however, then these symbols and the Classical Roman society is one with a complicated history that covers the history of the ancient city and involves the family, the home, education and much more. The social structure of ancient Rome was based on heredity, property, wealth, citizenship and freedom. It was also based around men: women were defined by the social status of their fathers or husbands. Women were expected to look after the houses and very few had any real independence.
Bed bath can benefit patients immensely as it ensured that there individual needs are met, improved patients psychologically as they maintain their self-esteem and a positive body image. Nurses and patient relationship can be improved through bed bathing as patients can use their closeness with the nurse to discuss issues that trouble them. Bed bath are only suitable for patients who are bed bound, critically ill patients who need some assistance and elderly patients.