Naked to the water(s): Early christians between baths and baptisms

For centuries, the baths represented a place of psychophysical well-being and socialization for Romans: a central moment in everyday life for both the wealthy and the more common people, without distinction of status or gender. The promiscuity that characterized the baths was criticized by many Latin authors (from Varro to Propertius, to Martial); however, with the spread of Christian mo- rality – known to be stricter and more ‘restrictive’ if compared to the one of previous centuries – the practice of attending baths lost its original social dimension, and underwent a significant ‘downsizing’ and ‘refunctionalization’ of spaces.