Balaneia, thermal baths and hammams. 25 centuries of collective baths in the Orient. Near East, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.
IFAO| N° d'inventaire | 19855 |
| Format | 25 x 33 |
| Détails | 1260 p., 4 volumes, publisher's hardcover. |
| Publication | Cairo, 2015 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782724706420 |
Since 2006, Balnéorient has been conducting a study of collective bathing in the Eastern Mediterranean, from Antiquity (the early Hellenistic period) to the contemporary era. This collaborative program aimed to study the various aspects of a social practice in a region that had never before been considered the epicenter of reflection conducted both over a long period and within a broad geographical framework. This work brings together 63 articles, case studies, and syntheses, accompanied by a common bibliography. They examine the bathing phenomenon on the scale of the Near East and provide an overview, if only to emphasize its complexity and highlight the extreme richness of the thermal heritage of this region. The diachronic approach adopted allows, in particular, to propose another reading of the history of collective bathing, elsewhere presented as punctuated by highlights, such as the Roman and Ottoman eras, and punctuated by sluggish moments or periods of decline such as the end of Antiquity or the contemporary era. On the contrary, the present work demonstrates the extreme richness and diversity of the bathing heritage of the Near East, in all periods and in all the countries covered by our study.
Since 2006, Balnéorient has been conducting a study of collective bathing in the Eastern Mediterranean, from Antiquity (the early Hellenistic period) to the contemporary era. This collaborative program aimed to study the various aspects of a social practice in a region that had never before been considered the epicenter of reflection conducted both over a long period and within a broad geographical framework. This work brings together 63 articles, case studies, and syntheses, accompanied by a common bibliography. They examine the bathing phenomenon on the scale of the Near East and provide an overview, if only to emphasize its complexity and highlight the extreme richness of the thermal heritage of this region. The diachronic approach adopted allows, in particular, to propose another reading of the history of collective bathing, elsewhere presented as punctuated by highlights, such as the Roman and Ottoman eras, and punctuated by sluggish moments or periods of decline such as the end of Antiquity or the contemporary era. On the contrary, the present work demonstrates the extreme richness and diversity of the bathing heritage of the Near East, in all periods and in all the countries covered by our study.