Adopting Roman Habits – The Baths in the House of Orpheus in Nea Paphos as a ‘Troublesome’ Case Study?

Abstract

The House of Orpheus at Nea Paphos in Cyprus, a multiphase residential complex excavated a few decades ago, is the subject of an on-going study within the framework of a new project. Recently, the bath suite in the north-eastern part of the house was analysed in detail and this has led to a better understanding of the baths’ layout and technology (such as the water management and heating system), features that confirm the adoption of the western/Italian model, while some of the details remained typical of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Keywords

• Nea Paphos
• Roman period Cyprus
• House of Orpheus
• baths
• heating system
• water management