The Roman Bath

 ruins, archaeological site

Excavations of the Roman Bath at Isthmia have uncovered an enormous complex with a long and variable history. The Roman Bath was built in the mid-second century AD on the foundation of an earlier Greek pool that dates back to at least the fourth century BC (Figure 6.2). Archaeological remains have shown that the bath continued in use until its abandonment in the late fourth century AD, after which it fell into decay and finally collapsed in the late sixth century. Pottery, walls, hearths, and cement floors suggest activities continued in this area during the Byzantine seventh and eighth centuries.

After it collapsed the Bath was covered by centuries of deposits and only discovered in modern times. By the time the traveler William Leake visited the area in the early 1800s, only one arch on the northern end protruded from the surface to give any clue of the structure that lay buried beneath; that traveler thought the bath was a small fortress connected with the Isthmian wall. It was not until 1954 that the complex was investigated archaeologically. In that year, Oscar Broneer of the University of Chicago placed a small trench at the southern end of the bath, revealing parts of Rooms XI and XIII. From the hypocausts and glass fragments uncovered in those rooms, he correctly identified it as bathing establishment of the Roman period that merited further investigation. Most of this investigation was carried out between 1972 and 1980 by Paul Clement of UCLA. The pace of excavation was amazing. In the first major field season, 1972, Clement's crews uncovered the entire northern third of the bath, clearing Rooms I to V, sometimes to the depth of up to three meters. In only four field seasons, between 1972 and 1978, excavators were able to define the plan of the entire Roman Bath. The Ohio State University became responsible for fieldwork at the bath beginning in 1987. There followed additional small-scale explorations and a major effort to conserve the architecture and especially the monochrome mosaic in Room VI.

from:
isthmia.osu.edu/arched/fieldwork.html