Nokalakevi Civil Bathhouse

Standing on the lower terrace of the massive ancient fortress city of Archaeopolis, the Nokalakevi Civil Bathhouse offers a rare window into the sophisticated urban life of late antiquity. While the grand defensive walls higher up the hillside draw immediate attention, this complex demonstrates that the Kingdom of Egrisi (Lazica) valued communal engineering and public health. Dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries AD, this structure highlights the deep integration of Roman architectural traditions into the historic landscape of the Samegrelo region.

The Engineering of the Hypocaust System

The most important feature of the ruins is the exceptionally well-preserved underfloor heating network, known historically as a hypocaust. Visitors can inspect the precise grid of pilae—short, square pillars built from fired clay bricks that once supported a heavy suspended floor. A furnace located outside the main rooms, called a praefurnium, continuously generated hot air and smoke that circulated through the open spaces beneath the floor, warming the rooms above.

Architectural excavations reveal that the layout closely mirrors traditional Roman public baths. The interior was organized into a logical sequence of distinct temperature zones designed to cleanse and relax users:

• Frigidarium: The unheated cold room, typically used at the end of the bathing process to close pores.
• Tepidarium: A transitional warm space that prepared the body for higher temperatures.
• Caldarium: The hot room, positioned closest to the furnace, where intense heat and moisture accumulated.

Historical Context and Social Significance

Unlike the smaller, exclusive Royal Bathhouse discovered further up the slope near the palace ruins, the Civil Bathhouse served a broader civic purpose. Historians suggest it accommodated the local garrison, traveling merchants, and ordinary citizens of Archaeopolis, making it a vital hub of daily social interaction. The construction quality reflects the regional economic prosperity of the era, utilizing alternating bands of smooth river stone and flat Roman brick bonded with robust lime mortar designed to withstand heavy humidity and seismic shifts over centuries.