Italy, Ostia Antica, Baths of Neptune (00:03:41)

East of the theater is another large square bath complex covering c. 4,400 square meters (67 meters x 67 meters) and is known as the Baths of Neptune (II,IV,2). The structure, built late during the reign of the emperor Hadrian, was dedicated early in the reign of Antonius Pius. At the end of the second century C.E it was restored by Gamala Iunior. The bath house is surrounded on four sides by streets and has entrances on each street. The overall design of the bathhouse was similar to those found in Pompeii, such as the Central Baths and therefore represents the next aspect of development. The eponymous mosaic of Neptune riding a chariot drawn by hippocampi and surrounded by marine animals can be found after entering the bathhouse, this room is just south of the frigidarium. In an adjacent room is the mosaic of Amphitrite riding a hippocampus. The Baths of Neptune are one of the few in Ostia that contains an open air palaestra, surrounded on three sides by marble columns. Under the palaestra was a reservoir that received water from the Julio-Claudian aqueduct and feed the bathhouses in the area.