The Late Roman military baths of the Wadi Arabah: a survey of recent archaeological work

Abstract

Archaeological investigation over the past two decades at several Late Roman military sites in the Wadi Arabah has revealed a corpus of bathhouses that share a geographically distinct architectural design. Constructed in the late 3rd – early 4th cent. CE during a short-lived period of economic resurgence and revitalization of regional trade, these small Roman military baths can add much to our understanding of the broader socio-economic and historical contexts of Arabia/Palaestina in Late Antiquity. This paper reviews recent work on the Late Roman military baths of the Wadi Arabah and offers new analyses regarding their placement and architectural planning.