AbstractThis thesis examines and discusses a sample of the medieval Hypocausts (stone-heating ovens) in the Baltic area. The medieval construction is thoroughly explained as well as the antique Hypocaust in order to establish a base for the following discussion. The medieval Hypocaust has been almost forgotten for a long period of time. The last time someone dealt with this category of finds were in the 1960?s by Swedish archaeologist Iwar Andersson and in the 1970?s by Danish archaeologist Johannes Hertz.

This essay focuses on the technical systems and functions behind how a Roman bath operated. I will present a general view by going through each part of the waters path through the bath one by one. Since there is no such thing as a standardised Roman bath I will, under each headline, present the sub subject with a presentation of the workings and then exemplifying through archaeological findings and ancient literary sources.This essay is therefore meant to present a thorough and clear presentation of the technical aspects of a roman bath. The aim is to give the reader an understanding of how a bathhouse worked in general and why. To this I want to present problems that the Romans were faced with and how they solved them..