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Ancient Romans Had Hotels with Central Heating. The ruins of an ancient Roman hotel were recent discovered underneath a German bus terminal. I found it fascinating that they had central heating:
After the big nosh, travelers would have had the option of staying for the night at the hotel, which was made of slate and bricked with narrow joints.
The foundation was raised to allow for a wood-fueled furnace at the bottom of the structure. Hot air from the fire would have risen naturally to fill chimneys located within the guest rooms. The hot air also warmed the walls, which were made of partially hollowed-out bricks.
Sauer said the complex was energy efficient, since the forests around Neuss already had been mostly depleted before the inn’s heyday. In addition to the underground heating system, a slate roof on the building captured the sun’s heat, somewhat comparable to how solar panels operate today.
Martin Haidinger, a Vienna University historian who has worked on similar projects in central Europe commented, “This gives us a fascinating insight into another chapter of Roman life, and confirms that some aspects of society were remarkably similar to our own.”
(via GeekPress. )
