Archaeologists in eastern Serbia have uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved private Roman bath inside a monumental palace tower at the Vrelo-Šarkamen imperial complex.
The bath occupied the lowest level of the southwestern corner tower of a fortified residence associated with Maximinus Daia, a Roman emperor of the early fourth century.
The excavation team said the circular bath, or “balneum,” has no known direct architectural parallel elsewhere in the Roman Empire.
The latest excavations were carried out by Serbia’s Institute of Archaeology and the Museum of Krajina, with support from the country’s Ministry of Culture. Marija Jović and Gordan Janjić are leading the work.
Roman engineers transformed a palace tower
Rather than constructing the bath in a separate wing, Roman builders adapted it to the tower’s circular interior. The space stood beneath a dome pierced by six window openings, a design that required careful architectural planning.
Excavations revealed three bathing pools or tubs and a “sudatorium,” a heated room used as a steam bath. Similar discoveries across the former empire have revealed the importance of Roman bathing complexes in daily life.
The Šarkamen bath was divided between spaces used by residents and technical areas operated by workers.
Ancient heating system survives remarkably intact
At the center of the system was the “praefurnium,” or furnace. It sent hot air beneath raised floors through a hypocaust supported by small circular pillars known as “pilae.” Similar technology has survived at other Roman sites, including a submerged bath complex at ancient Baiae.
At Šarkamen, the hypocaust remains unusually complete. Its condition allows researchers to examine how heat circulated through the private bath.
Archaeologists also identified the installation that once supported a copper boiler used to heat water. The vessel itself is gone, likely because valuable copper was removed and reused. Workers entered the technical section through a western entrance, allowing them to tend the furnace without entering private bathing areas.
New evidence of imperial life
Vrelo-Šarkamen dates to the early fourth century, when the Roman Empire was governed under the Tetrarchic system. The site was a fortified elite residence rather than a conventional Roman city.
The discovery adds to evidence of the wider importance of the Balkans in the Roman Empire. Šarkamen’s imperial importance became clear about three decades ago, when archaeologists discovered a mausoleum containing an exceptional collection of gold jewelry. The bath now provides another sign of elite life through architecture, engineering and private comfort.
Questions remain about how residents entered the bath. An eastern entrance connects it with a paved palace corridor, but differences in floor levels have not yet been explained. Further excavations could reveal how the unusual bath connected with the rest of the imperial residence.
Archaeologists in Serbia have uncovered a remarkably preserved Roman bath hidden inside an imperial palace tower.
Built with underfloor heating, a steam room and hot-water technology, the 1,700-year-old bath has no known direct architectural parallel in the Roman Empire. pic.twitter.com/Ido3eZVA9a— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) September 3, 2026
Archaeologists in eastern Serbia have uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved private Roman bath inside a monumental palace tower at the Vrelo-Šarkamen imperial complex.
The bath occupied the lowest level of the southwestern corner tower of a fortified residence associated with Maximinus Daia, a Roman emperor of the early fourth century. The excavation team said the circular bath, or “balneum,” has no known direct architectural parallel elsewhere in the Roman Empire.
The latest excavations were carried out by Serbia’s Institute of Archaeology and the Museum of Krajina, with support from the country’s Ministry of Culture. Marija Jović and Gordan Janjić are leading the work.
Roman engineers transformed a palace tower
Rather than constructing the bath in a separate wing, Roman builders adapted it to the tower’s circular interior. The space stood beneath a dome pierced by six window openings, a design that required careful architectural planning.
Excavations revealed three bathing pools or tubs and a “sudatorium,” a heated room used as a steam bath. Similar discoveries across the former empire have revealed the importance of Roman bathing complexes in daily life.
The Šarkamen bath was divided between spaces used by residents and technical areas operated by workers.
Ancient heating system survives remarkably intact
At the center of the system was the “praefurnium,” or furnace. It sent hot air beneath raised floors through a hypocaust supported by small circular pillars known as “pilae.” Similar technology has survived at other Roman sites, including a submerged bath complex at ancient Baiae.
At Šarkamen, the hypocaust remains unusually complete. Its condition allows researchers to examine how heat circulated through the private bath. Archaeologists also identified the installation that once supported a copper boiler used to heat water. The vessel itself is gone, likely because valuable copper was removed and reused.
Workers entered the technical section through a western entrance, allowing them to tend the furnace without entering private bathing areas.
New evidence of imperial life
Vrelo-Šarkamen dates to the early fourth century, when the Roman Empire was governed under the Tetrarchic system. The site was a fortified elite residence rather than a conventional Roman city. The discovery adds to evidence of the wider importance of the Balkans in the Roman Empire.
Šarkamen’s imperial importance became clear about three decades ago, when archaeologists discovered a mausoleum containing an exceptional collection of gold jewelry. The bath now provides another sign of elite life through architecture, engineering and private comfort.
Questions remain about how residents entered the bath. An eastern entrance connects it with a paved palace corridor, but differences in floor levels have not yet been explained. Further excavations could reveal how the unusual bath connected with the rest of the imperial residence.
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