Bathing Rooms in First-Millennium Assyria

This article presents a review of the archaeological evidence relating to those spaces identified as bathrooms in the main Neo-Assyrian palaces. An examination of the primary elements – fixed features, interior decoration, position within the palace and connectivity, use of water and possible protocol rules – serves to delve into aspects of hygiene, privacy, and protection, and supports concluding that bathrooms were the most ‘hygienic’ locations within a building. The results also aim at paving the way for a better understanding of the extent to which bathrooms contributed to the building of an Assyrian social identity and its preservation.