Page 257 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

2034 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

baths.These bathing complexes would have rooms with pre-Socratic philosopher Thales of Miletus, writing in the
differing water temperatures: cold water, tepid, and hot late fifth century BCE, believed the principal element of all
water baths. Larger complexes even had large swimming things was water and everything else in the universe was
pools.As the Roman empire expanded in the second and a creation of water.
third centuries CE, these complexes became more and In Zoroastrianism, cultivation of the soil was praised
more elaborate with vaulted ceilings, glass windows, and any action that promoted cultivation was encour-
exotic artwork, and intricate plumbing systems.The baths aged.This motivated the Sassanian kings who ruled Per-
built by the Roman emperor Caracalla (Marcus Aurelius sia (modern-day Iran) from the third to seventh centuries
Antoninus) in 217 CE could accommodate over 1,600 CE to build dams and extensive irrigation systems.
bathers at the same time.These bathing complexes were In early Christianity, water was seen as a symbol of
an important tool for the spread of Roman culture and purification and life. In Byzantine church liturgy, the
ideas throughout the empire. Bathing is still an important blessing of the water was an important ritual and was
aspect of some modern cultures like Japan and Finland. believed by the church leaders to commemorate Jesus
Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist. Water remains an
Religion important purifying element in modern religions. In
In ancient Greece and Rome, water was an important ele- many modern Christian sects, baptism (either by sprin-
ment in religious rites. Natural springs were considered kling or immersion) in water to wash away earthly sin is
powerful locations and often became cult worship sites. an initiation rite of the faith. In Islam, believers wash their
Along with fire, water was used as a purification element hands, arms, feet, and head to cleanse themselves before
in birth, marriage, death, and sacrificial ceremonies.The praying. Judaism also uses water to purify believers and
idea of water as a tool to purify or remove evil is rein- to cleanse them after coming into contact with unclean
forced by the numerous flood stories from around the items, such as a dead body.
globe that recount how god(s) cleansed the earth of evil-
doers and made a fresh start with a chosen one, such as Transportation
Noah in the Old Testament, Deucalion in Greek myth- and Empires
ology, Utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh, or the East With so much of the earth covered by water, boats have
African story of Tumbainot. been a necessity for exploration and travel.Travel
In Greek philosophy and cosmol- via water transport, until modern
ogy, water was considered to times, has been faster and less
be one of the four basic expensive than travel over-
elements of the uni- land. The edict issued
verse in addition by the Roman em-
to fire, air, and peror Dioclet-
earth. The ian in 301 BCE

The Deluge, a fresco by Paolo Uccelli (c. 1396–1470) in Florence, Italy.