0010 - 0500: Roman Bathhouses, Dwellings Use Sun to Warm Chambers; Law Recognizes ‘Sun Rights’

An ancient Roman bathhouse (thermae). The Baths of Diocletian could hold up to 3,000 bathers. [Source: Crystalinks (.com)]Roman bathhouses use the sun to warm the chambers. In many areas such as Zippori, an ancient Roman city in what is now Israel, the sunlight is usually let in through south-facing windows. By the 6th century, sunrooms in houses and public buildings are so commonplace that the Justinian Code creates “sun rights” to ensure the citizens’ right to access sunlight. [Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Archaeology, 6/26/1998; US Department of Energy, 2002 ]