Commission and Dedication
Modern exterior view of the Baths of Diocletian.
The Tetrarch Maximian commissioned the Baths in 298 CE for Emperor and fellow Tetrarch Diocletian.1 Four different inscriptions date the official dedication from Maximian to Diocletian as 305 or 306 CE, around the time of the completion of construction. The sheer size and grandeur of the Baths are the most essential parts of the message this monument sent to the public at the time: 'the Roman Tetrarchy is stable and formidable.' The role of baths as a social hub adds particular value to the dedication: the name Thermae Diocletiani would be part of the daily experience of citizens who traveled to and experienced the Baths. The Baths - and thus Diocletian - would be woven into the web of daily routines and social connections in which Roman thermae formed vital hubs.
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1. Amanda Claridge, Rome (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), 391.