Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Apodyterium

Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary, and Greek Lexicon (Rich, 1849)

APODYTE'RIUM (ἀποδυτήριον). An undressing-room; especially a chamber in the baths (Cic. Q. Fr. iii. 1. 1. Plin. Ep. v. 6. 25.), where the visitors undressed, and left their clothes while bathing; for in the public establishments every person was compelled by law to strip himself before he passed into the interior apartments, as a check to robbery, and to prevent the concealment of stolen articles about the person. (Cic. Cael. 26.) The illustration (Apodyterium/1.1) represents the interior of the Apodyterium in the baths at Pompeii; its relative position with regard to the other apartments of the establishment may be seen on the ground-plan of BALINEAE, on which it is marked A. It is furnished with three doors: the one on the left, at the further end of the engraving, is the general entrance from the outside; that on the right of it opens into the cold bath; and the nearest one on the right gives access to the warm bath. Seats for dressing and undressing upon run along three sides of the room; and holes are seen in the walls, in which wooden pegs were fixed for hanging up the clothes. The small dark niche under the window served to contain a lamp.

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  Apodyterium/1.1