In classical antiquity, a baptisterium (Ancient Greek: βαπτιστήριον) was a large basin installed in private or public baths into which bathers could plunge, or even swim about.[1] It is more commonly called natatorium or piscina.
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Peck, Harry Thurston, ed. (1898). "Baptisterium". Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. New York: Harper & Brothers.
Footnotes
- ^ Epist. ii. 17, 11 (cited by Peck)