#historical review

Emily and I had to rush to get to the Roman Baths on time, but when we got there it was a cool experience to have. The site of the Roman Baths was actually rediscovered and turned into a museum in the late 1800s. The baths themselves are actually below street level, but when the construction began for the museum, buildings were built above the baths. The interior of the area surrounding the baths bears resemblance to what one would expect from Ancient Rome, with tall pillars, a terrace, and statues erected to Roman gods and goddesses. Without given any of this information about the baths or without much prior knowledge about authentic Roman life, somebody visiting the baths could easily believe the Great Baths and the pillars and statues surrounding it were actually authentic and discovered with the baths themselves rather than a later construction.

There was a lot to see in general and Emily and I found with every turn more things to discover, though we did have to rush a bit because we arrived slightly late due to the fact we left Glastonbury later than scheduled. Along with the main baths, there were hot springs, a temple to Minerva, other artifacts on display like pre-Roman coins, and realistic looking videos in different parts of the baths depicting life-size Romans going about their daily lives using the public baths, bartering at markets, and more. I wish we had had more time there– even if we had made it on time, a half hour wouldn’t be enough to properly appreciate everything there– but it was still an enjoyable experience and a rather nice change of pace from the more typically English sites we saw on our trip.