This book engages with an understudied corpus of rural baths in two regions of Roman Britain – south east and central south west England – and does so from a novel, human-centred perspective. Rather than limiting the research to the traditional architectural, technological or decorative aspects of Roman baths, S. places the sensorial experience of bathing at the centre of the argumentation. As one of the most widespread and most popular buildings of the Roman period, bathhouses are uniquely suited to examining how indigenous and mediterranean cultural spheres interacted and gave birth to a specific cultural hybridity that characterises the Roman empire. Relying on the methodological framework of sensorial archaeology, S. sets out to explore how rural baths acted as catalysts in what he calls ‘a colonisation of the senses’ (p. 11).

In a brief introduction (Chapter 1) readers are acquainted with the subject of Roman baths and bath-related research in Britain, and are guided through the research methodology and structure of the book. Before addressing the evidence, S. dedicates a chapter (2) to the impact of antiquarian excavations, meticulously dissecting how the earliest interest and research into rural baths shaped long-lived views and idées fixes about the subject. The different research traditions and main protagonists are discussed by modern county (Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Gloucestershire). As a good post-processual archaeologist, he places these early studies in their historical context and is able to pinpoint both the accomplishments and the shortcomings of his predecessors – the chapter’s title ‘An Ambiguous Heritage’ accurately reflecting this – without stooping to gratuitous criticism. Considering the large amount of data generated during these antiquarian digs, this historiographical excursion is fully warranted and fits within a larger renewed interest within archaeology to re-examine so-called ‘legacy data’. Despite the many inherent shortcomings of these data, there is still much interesting information to be retrieved from them, as is demonstrated by S. in the following chapters.

In Chapter 3 readers are presented with the dataset, subdivided into the same modern counties as in the previous chapter. For each county the broad historical context of the first contact with the Roman cultural sphere is presented, beginning in the Iron Age and moving towards the first decades of the Roman conquest. The countryside is approached as holistically as possible, looking at socio-cultural and economic characteristics within their natural and human-made environments. S. follows in the footsteps of other contemporary scholars who have looked at rural Roman Britian from a multi-perspective angle and over the longue durée (e.g. The Rural Settlement of Roman Britain Project and The Canterbury Hinterland Project). S. skilfully builds upon their results, not only to outline the complex dynamics of this first contact, but also to understand the differences between the counties. This chapter is also permeated by relevant passages about the respective areas in ancient literature, further supporting the argument. Unfortunately, the format of the printed version of the book (16.5 x 24 cm) does not do justice to the maps presenting the geographical spread of the dataset. Colour versions of these maps can, however, be found in the open access supporting material (PDF) on the publisher’s website. The decision to confine the catalogue of baths, including the plans, to digital format only can be understood from the publisher’s point of view – the PDF stretches to 488 pages and over 100 colour figures – but is regrettable from a scholarly perspective. The archaeological data that supports the discussion in this chapter and in the ones that follow is less integrated thereby.

The first introduction of Roman-style bathhouses to Britannia is the focus of Chapter 4. According to a solid theoretical framework about cultural negotiation – involving the concepts put forward by scholars such as R. White, C. Gosden and D. Mattingly – the role of baths in establishing a common ground among indigenous people and newcomers is examined. Interestingly, the conclusion that Roman baths and associated bathing habits were not simply adopted by local elites as a ‘package deal’ to promote their ‘Roman-ness’ is in line with what has been observed for continental north-western Europe (S. Maréchal, Bathing at the Edge of the Roman Empire [2023]). The idea that rural baths served as social hubs within the countryside, not only for the owner’s peers, but in some cases also for a workforce living on the estate, has been proposed for similar rural baths in modern-day Belgium (S. Maréchal, ‘By Invitation Only. Accessibility of Villa Baths in the Roman North-West’, Oxford Journal of Archaeology 40 [2021]). S. convincingly argues that villas formed an ideal setting to experiment with new architecture and technological solutions – more so than public bathhouses –, supporting a hypothesis advanced by N. de Haan (Römische Privatbäder [2010]). Building on the framework of sensorial archaeology – overlooking, however, recent work by M. Blonski (‘Gluant, parfumé, brillant? Aspects de l’expérience sensorielle aux balnea’, Mélanges de l’École française de Rome. Antiquité 132 [2020]) – and on the historical context depicted in the previous chapter, S. makes the innovative observation that religious practices and the religious significance of water may well have shaped the way in which indigenous people experienced this new phenomenon and that the notion of a ‘monolithic “Roman way of bathing”’ (p. 78) should be revised.

Chapters 5 and 6 focus on the important mobilisation of resources – building materials, fuel and also manpower – that were needed to construct and maintain a bathhouse. On the basis of ancient sources – such as Diocletian’s price edict – and recent research on building logistics S. attempts to estimate the costs of such a substantial investment. Chapter 5 examines building materials and fuel, highlighting ingenious local solutions to optimise the heating system. In particular, the hollow voussoir tiles for vault construction or the relief-patterned box tiles are good examples of how local entrepreneurs took the initiative to turn a new demand – created by these new building types – into business opportunities. Chapter 6 is devoted to the decoration of baths, with specific attention to mosaics and wall paintings. In both chapters S. looks at the impact of the sensorial experiences, arguing that a profound knowledge of the (historic) landscape could be essential in the construction and appreciation of these buildings, acknowledging the unique – sometimes supernatural – character of a place.

In the last chapter (7) before the conclusion baths are contextualised in the setting of the late antique house as a ‘machine for competition’ (following K. Bowes, Houses and Society in the Later Roman Empire [2010]). An east–west divide within the research area can be observed: villa and bath construction in late antiquity continued mainly in Gloucestershire and in the south east of the country. As has been observed in other parts of the empire (S. Maréchal, ‘Quod grata lavacra nitescunt: Roman Villa Baths as Markers of Elite Competition in Continental North-Western Europe’, European Journal of Archaeology 24 [2021]), opening up private baths to the larger rural community may have secured local support and perhaps even crafted new socio-cultural values. Additionally, S. underlines the importance of a possible religious connotation, linking the often sacred character of spring water to a special sensorial experience within the baths.

With this book S. makes an important contribution to the new human-centred direction that current bath research is following. By placing the sensorial experience of the commissioners and users at the centre of his research, S. demonstrates how baths spearheaded the cultural negotiation that characterises provincial contexts.