when were pools invented?

There has always been an unbreakable bond between humans and the aquatic environment. Society could not function or endure without water. The earliest societies built up next to bodies of water. They used the water’s energy to grow food and build social structures. There are many allusions to water in fables, myths, and creation myths.

People first built public baths due to our innate love of water and its many advantages. These public baths later developed into the swimming pools we know today. Let’s examine the evolution of the swimming pool from Egypt to the present. Welcome to the pool’s history!

Swimming pools date back at least to 2600 B.C.E., or at least to man-made watering holes for bathing and swimming. The Great Baths of Mohenjodaro is an old and ornate bathing facility in Pakistan. It is built of bricks and plaster, with sloping decks that wouldn’t look out of place in today’s pool scene. It is likely the first elaborate building. Still, Mohenjodaro was most likely not used for lap swimming in general. According to scholars, it was a part of holy rites.

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2600 BC: The Great Bath

Known to have held water for the first time, the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan dates back to 2600 BC. The pool has wide steps at both ends and measures 12 meters long by 7 meters wide and 2.4 meters deep in the middle. The fitted bricks are pitched with tar and covered in gypsum plaster. Because of this, it is waterproof. The pool was most likely utilized for religious rituals.

400 BC: Greek and Roman Times

In ancient Greece and Rome, swimming pools gained use instead of bathing areas. The philosopher Plato believed that swimming should be an essential part of a boy’s elementary school education. As a result, swimming was part of the curriculum for young boys in civilizations dating back to 400 BC. They also taught subjects like astronomy, writing, and mathematics. Also, swimming pools were used by the Greek and Roman armies to prepare their soldiers for battle.

400 BC: 1st Heated Pool

Gaius Maecenas was a wealthy patron of literature and the arts. Around the first century BC, he was one of Augustus Caesar’s political counselors. He built Rome’s first heated swimming pool. The opulent pool was said to have amazing waterfalls, gardens, terraces, houses, and other luxuries. It was heated by a central heating system that ran on a furnace.

AD 305: Heating Tiles

Over 900,000 square feet of an amazing heated pool was built by the Romans in AD 305. Massive fires were kept going in a basement beneath the pool. The heat from the walls and columns went to the pool above.

1837: Indoor Pools

The National Swimming Society brought Olympic swimming to Britain in the early 1800s. By 1837, London had six indoor swimming pools. They supported year-round training and swimming contests. Swimming became indoors in the mid-19th century.

Pakistan 2500 B.C.

The Great Bath is known as the world’s first artificial swimming pool. It was built with brick and stone and covered in bitumen. It was discovered in 1926. At that time, people believed that the ancient Indus Valley people lived in what is now the southern region of Pakistan. They believed the people used it for spiritual bathing. No water polo or lap swimming.

Greece 700 B.C.

Public baths were a popular pastime in ancient Greece. Greek philosopher Plato said, “A man is not learned until he can read, write, and swim.” Hippocrates also advised a daily oil massage and scented bath. While bathing is common, what about swimming or pool games? Not even Marco Polo, not that much.

Rome 100 A.D.

Also, Roman public baths were built in the classic Roman style. They were a way of life in the empire. The Caracalla spas at Rome received a steady supply of fresh water from hills more than fifty miles distant. They received it through aqueducts. Also, Gaius Maecenas built the first heated pool in the first century of the common era. Still not too much swimming, though, as “state swimmers” prepared for battle in Roman pools.

The Dark Ages 400 – 1800 A.D.

For those who built swimming pools, these were difficult times. Many of them were likely driven out of business by the fall of the Roman Empire. Getting fit went out of style, and bathing also became uncommon.

England 1830

Great Britain brought in the modern period of swimming pools. They did this with impressive advances in water treatment and control. By 1837, six public pools had been built in London in response to the worrying rates of drowning. As a result, swimming became prevalent as a sport. The Amateur Swimming Memory was cut in the UK in 1869. It aimed to help swimming as a sport. It also aimed to improve swimming skills and encourage exercise.

Olympics 1896

Competitive swimming was added to the Olympic program in 1896. That marked the start of the modern Olympic games. This had a long-lasting impact on swimming’s fame. Money could not be collected to construct a portable pool. As a result, four swimming events were held in the open ocean during the 1896 Athens Games. The events drew 20,000 spectators.

Texas 1915

The oldest swimming pool in Texas is called Deep Eddy Pool. It was first built as a popular swimming hole in the Colorado River. In the 1920s, it grew into a resort. Now, the City of Austin runs it as a well-liked swimming area. I’m from Texas, but others claim that Deep Eddy was the first swimming pool in the United States!

California 1920

William Randolph Hearst built the beautiful Neptune pool. He also added 350,000 gallons of water from the Santa Lucia mountains to it. Built with enormous sizes, it’s among the initial pools to be built with Gunite. It has the front of a Roman temple from the past. It is surrounded by statues, structures, and colonnades. They are made of Greek and Roman materials.

Hollywood 1940

The pool was used in many early Hollywood productions. The Hearst Castle was turned into a playground for the elite of Hollywood. Pools became the toys of the affluent and famous. Hollywood blockbusters popularized them. Later, films like Johnny Weissmuller and Esther Williams glamorized the “cool” pool lifestyle. They even promoted synchronized swimming.

Hotels 1960

Give some recognition to the American motels and hotels. They started luring customers with swimming pools in the 1950s. By the time I was growing up in the 1970s, almost every hotel had to include a pool. This was to compete for business and family travelers. The fact that hotels still offer pools as a popular break amenity hasn’t changed.

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Swimming becoming a sport

Swimming started as a sport in the 1830s. Due to its growing rage, 10 German divers competed in the inaugural Olympic Games in 1904. Mathew Webb swam the English Channel in 1885. He traveled 40 miles in almost 21 hours, according to records. To avoid hypothermia, he applied a layer of porpoise fat to his skin. A 300-meter obstacle event took place during the 1900 Paris Olympics. It happened more than ten years later. Swimmers went under, over, and over boats in the Seine River as well as up poles.

The Modern Swimming Pool

In the 1900s, swimming for recreation became common. Swimming pools now have more features due to rapid development. They can also heat the water. They featured upgrades including cleaning systems and materials made of vinyl and fiberglass. Many people built pools in their backyards during the 20th century.

Also, science and technology have raised swimming pools to new heights. Techniques were created to keep the water clean and safe for human use. These techniques include filtration and chlorination. Before these innovations, all the water in a swimming pool would be drained. Then, it would be refilled with fresh water.

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Conclusion

More complex layouts were created to create more exquisite swimming pools. Some modern supplies speed up pool construction compared to ancient Greece and Rome. The 20th-century pools aren’t expensive. They transform any outdoor living area into a beautiful body of water. They are yours to use whenever you please.