The Literary Evidence
The Notitia urbis Romae, a catalogue of buildings in Rome compiled or updated in the mid-4th c., provides crucial information about the location of Decius' baths: “REGIO XIII ADVENTINUS continet: Armilustrium. Templum Dianae et Minervae. Nymfae III. Thermas Suranas et Decianas.”n3 The compiler lists the thermae Decianae as one of two major baths in the Aventine region. The other, the thermae Suranae is a well-attested complex dating to the reign of Trajan.n4 A second reference to the Baths of Decius comes from the Chronica urbis Romae. This document lists the Roman emperors up to the death of Licinius (324 C.E.), , with brief notices of the events of their reigns and their building activities in Rome.n5 “Decius imper. annum unum m. XI d. XVIII. cong. ded. X CCL. hoc imp. thermae Commodianae dedicatae sunt.”n6 “Decius reigned for one year, eleven months, eighteen days. He distributed largess in the amount of 250 denarii. While he was reigning the baths of Commodus were dedicated.”n7 Here the text is corrupt because a copyist erroneously repeated a sentence. Just a few lines earlier the phrase hoc imp. thermae Commodianae dedicatae sunt appears in its proper place, under the reign of Commodus.n8As Theodore Mommsen noted, in the later passage we expect thermae Decianae rather than thermae Commodianae.n9We may accept Mommsen's emendation with confidence. Eutropius' Breviarium, composed about 370 C.E., n10offers a slightly fuller summary of Decius' reign and a less confused account of his building activity at Rome: “post hos Decius, e Pannonia inferiore Budaliae natus, imperium sumsit. Bellum civile, quod in Gallia motum fuerat, oppressit; filium suum Caesarem fecit. Romae lavacrum aedificavit.”n11Finally, in the 6th c., we have the following report in Cassiodorus' Chronica: “Decius lavacra publica aedificavit, quae suo nomine appellari iussit.”n12“After these [the Philippi] Decius, born in Budalia in Lower Pannonia, assumed power. He suppressed a civil war which had arisen in Gaul. He elevated his son to the rank of Caesar. He built a bath at Rome.”
Eutr. Brev. 9. 4
The wording of this account suggests that there was something unusual about the situation. Cassiodorus records several other imperial building projects, but nowhere else does he use similar language.n13 The fact that the emperor had to order ( iubere) the baths to be named after himself implies that there was some question as to who deserved the credit. Cassiodorus culled most of his information on public buildings from Jerome's Chronicle but here he used another source.n14That source may have spelled out more completely the unusual circumstances surrounding the completion and dedication of the baths.“Decius built a public bath, which he ordered to be named after himself.
”Cass. Chron. 956
