The arrival of water and marble in Leptis early in the 2nd century AD prompted the Emperor Hadrian to commission the superb baths bearing his name. The baths were opened in AD 137 (some archaeologists put the date at AD 126-27) and they quickly became one of the social hubs of the city. Attention to detail was a feature of the baths and in keeping with well-established Roman tradition, the baths lay along a north-south axis and the symmetry of the buildings was a key requirement.
