By: Austin Lucas and Hwanseung Kim

Even before the Romans, the hot springs were regarded by the locals as an important religious site, at which they would pay patronage to Sulius.

An earthen embankment shows that they may have done some engineering of their own.

The Alter devoted to Sulis.

Although an open space today, at the time of the story the baths were enclosed in a barrel roof building

Oak piles were driven into the mud to provide a foundation

The Georgian building that replaced the original one still uses this Roman foundation.

In order to deal with the run off water, the Romans devised a drainage system that took the excess water to the river Avon a few hundred meters away.

The mask you see in your textbook was mysteriously found in this drain.

Roman engineers developed systems to transport the water of the springs to the baths with a series of lead pipes.

These pipes still function today, however make the baths unsafe to use.

Over 12000 Roman coins have been recovered from the baths.

Curse tablets show the religious attributes tied to the use of the sacred spring.

Due to both the lead pipes and dangerous bacteria in the water, the baths are no longer open to the public.

You can, however, drink from the sacred fountain.

The Thermae Spa is built nearby to provide a similar experience with the sacred waters.