The Bath of Diocleziano is one of the four seats of the National Roman Museum, the others being Palazzo Massimo, Palazzo Altemps and Crypta Balbi. Today, the bath is taken up mainly with the Museum of Epigraphy which collects and conserves written texts on various themes from the eighth century B.C. to the fourth century A.D. The magnificent structure of the bath, the biggest of Ancient Rome, was built between the years 298 and 306 A.D. As well as sporting the traditional pools of water at various temperatures ("calidarium", "frigidarium" and "tepidarium"), the bath also included a central basilica, an open-air swimming pool and many other rooms which were put to various uses. Part of the perimeter of the bath is now occupied by the Church of Saint Mary of the Angels. Indeed, in 1561 Pope Pio IV decided to change the bath into a sort of basilica with an annexed convent, and commissioned Michelangelo to bring this to fruition. In 1889 the bath became a seat of the National Museum of Ancient Rome and diverse archaeological collections were built up.
In the cloister built by Michelangelo there are about 400 sculptures displaying the whole range of artistic styles found in ancient Rome. The galleries of the cloister are dedicated to the exposition of pre-historic populations and the development of their cultures in the Lazio region from the late bronze age and iron age (twelfth to seventh centuries B.C.), with particular reference to Rome. The epigraphical section was formed in the first half of the nineteenth century and today is completely restored. This exposition displays the birth and diffusion of the Latin language through various written documents such as the "Cippo del Foro", "la Corona in calcare di Palestrina", "le defixiones" "i tituli", texts related to associations and a group of texts which relate the development of Roman society throughout the period.
The octagonal room, which since 1928 has been a Planetarium, conserves intact a marvellous cupola and hosts within its very walls sculptures of the bath. Among the most important of these are the bronze statues of the so-called Hellenistic Prince of the second century B.C., the seated fighter of the first century B.C. and the famous Aphrodite of Sirene, a replica of the Hadrianic age from Prassitele. The grand Renaissance rooms in which oil was stored are now utilised, after recent restoration, for conferences and exhibitions.

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