The Baths of Trajan (Erroneously Called the Baths of Titus)

This lonely ruin is the remains of a magnificent bath commissioned by Emperor Trajan (53–117), which was five years in the making. From about 200 to 600 CE, it was the place for Romans to see and be seen. Trajan’s complex inspired later bathing projects like the Baths of Diocletian, which Piranesi also etched. Here he shows us one of the exedrae, semicircular rooms that served as gathering places within the sprawling compound.