Keenan. https://www.ancient.eu/Circus_Maximus/. The outside of the circus presented an impressive front of arcades in which shops would have served the needs of the spectators. The site was then largely abandoned, although, the Frangipanni did fortify the site in 1144 CE. Hippodrome, ancient Greek stadium designed for horse racing and especially chariot racing. 14 April 2015. (Potter 237). Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Aicher, Peter J., and Laurie Haight. (Image: Samuel Ball Platner/Public domain) At each end of the spina were three cones, the metae. A decorated barrier (spina or euripus) ran down the centre of the track, so that chariots ran in a circuit around conical turning posts (metae) placed at each end. Rome Alive: A Source-guide to the Ancient City. Related Content Famed throughout the Roman world, the races at the Circus Maximus were, then, the ones to win as it was by far the most important of the many circuses which dotted the Empire and its status is testified by its many representations in mosaics, relief sculptures and even coins. The Circus Maximus (Latin for greatest or largest circus, in Italian Circo Massimo) is an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium and mass entertainment venue located in Rome, Italy. ). The metae was where the chariots turned. Due to the fact that the stadium was increasing and people were having trouble, Dio’s Historyexplains how Agrippa helped the spectators: “Agrippa… installed dolphins and egg-shaped objects to display the number of times the track had been circled in a race” (Aicher 299). Mark is a history writer based in Italy. The typical hippodrome was dug into a hillside and the excavated material used to construct an embankment for Livy's History of Rome. Famous winners were Pontius Epaphroditus, Pompeius Musclosus and Diocles but perhaps the most famous of all, with more than 2,000 race victories, was Scorpus. The … Originally there was not a building, “just a flat sandy track with temporary markers” (McManus 2). These were the oldest games in the city and were held every September with 15 days of chariot races and military processions. The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. The Circus Maximus is located in Rome between the hills Palatine and Aventine. In memory of the … The Circus Maximus was located in the valley between the Palatine and the Aventine hills (Potter 237). The Circus Maximus epitomises the design. Web. Also in 1930, the site was again excavated, a process which continued between 1978 and 1988 CE. The Circus Maximus, located in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills, is the oldest and largest public space in Rome and legend says that the Circus was originally laid out in the 6th century BCE by the first Roman kings, although, it first took on its distinctive shape under Julius Caesar. The sand-covered race track was about 700 yards long and 135 yards wide. At its center, the Emperor Augustus erected an obelisk pilfered from Egypt; excavated in the 16th Century, it stands today - as the Flamino Obelisk - in the center of the Piazza del Popolo. Web. 2015. Its Roman counterpart was called a circus and is best represented by the Circus Maximus (q.v.). The last of the major reconstructions of the circus was … It acted as a barrier which separated the two sides of the circuit of the racing track. In Rome’s early days, the valley would have been rich agric… License. His special interests include pottery, architecture, world mythology and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share in common. The Circus was also used for other public events such as the Roman Games and gladiator fights and was last used for chariot races in the 6th century CE. These were the ol… 2015. Due to the large amount of spectators that attended events at the Circus, Augustus placed his obelisk trophy on the spina (Aicher 241). The performance space of the Roman circus was normally, despite its name, an oblong rectangle of two linear sections of race track, separated by a median strip running along the length of about two thirds the track, joined at one end with a semicircular section and at the other end with an undivided section of track closed (in most cases) by a distinctive starting gate known as the carceres, thereby creating a circuit for the races. The Obelisco Flaminio, now in the Piazza del Popolo, was once part of the dividing barrier (spina) at the Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus was sited on the level ground of the Valley of Murcia (Vallis Murcia), between Rome’s Aventine and Palatine Hills. Circus Maximus. So the crops basically grew around the historical memories of the epic Circus Maximus. Seats were in concrete and stone in the lower two tiers and wood for the rest. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 24.2 (1965): 165-69. Erskine, Andrew. At the spina (the median strip), five water basins with fountains were added, a type of decoration otherwise only known from Rome's Circus Maximus, fitting the "dolphins" on the corners, which indicated how many laps the charioteers still had to cover. A Companion to Ancient History. Books The Circus Maximus was designed for chariot racing, but it was also used for other events such as wild animal hunts, gladiatorial combats, athletic events and processions (Grout 1). One dates to c. 1280 BCE and was taken by Augustus from Heliopolis in Egypt in 10 BCE. Grout, James. N.p., n.d. The Roman Antiquities. They were built to be sturdy, to withstand the force of any crashes. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Livy in another book, History, illustrates the entertainment that took place at the Circus Maximus, as well as how spectators were able to view the events: “Separate spaces for viewing were designated for the patricians and the knights, on stands, propped twelve feet off the ground on wooden braces. It now stands in the Piazza S.Giovanni in Laterano (Rome). Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. The site was used for industry and even a gasworks in the 19th century CE but in the 1930s CE the area was cleared and converted into a park made to resemble the original form of the Circus. King Tarquin laid out an arena known as the Circus Maximus. 2015. Cartwright, Mark. The outside of the circus presented an impressive front of arcades in which shops served the needs of the spectators. The Circus Maximus was a chariot racetrack in Rome first constructed in the 6th century BCE. Circus Maximus of Rome is situated in the Murcia Valley, between the Palatine and the Aventine Hills. Key information: The Circus Maximus was the greatest circus, venue for chariot races and venationes (hunts), ever constructed by the Romans. The last official chariot race at the Circus Maximus was in 549 CE and was held by Totila, the Ostrogoth king. 30 Nov 2020. The Circus Maximus was a large stadium. Other events hosted at the site included wild animal hunts, public executions and gladiator fights, some of which were exotically spectacular in the extreme, such as when Pompey organised a contest between a group of barbarian gladiators and 20 elephants. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. Potter, D. S., and D. J. Mattingly. All Rights Reserved. © 1990-2020 Villanova University. The track itself consisted of fine sand to allow for greater speed and reduce dust as much as possible during the race. In the gap between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire. He also provided separate seating reserved for the Senators, who previously had to mix with the rest of the spectators” (Aicher 300). Though no literary evidence attests to it, the track almost certainly would have needed to be raked in between races; otherwise the uneven track wou… The Arch of Constantine I, erected in c. 315 CE, stands in Rome... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Circus was made of concrete faced with opus vittatum (parallel horizontal courses of tuff blocks alternated with bricks). Circus Maximus owes its significance to being a chariot racing stadium which was built around 6th century BC. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2020) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. It is 513 meters long and 91 meters wide, and could have some 10,000 people as audience. The spina (spine) was the raised middle of the Circus Maximus. In particular the ludi Romani were held here annually and the occasional triumphal processions, snaking their way around the Palatine hill. The Plebeian Games were repeated seven times” (Livy 33.25). Along with chariot-racing, other forms of entertainment such as gladiator fights, animal hunts, athletics, plays, and other theatrical and public executions were held at […] Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci, 2005. Deya Nedeva August 2, 2016 Ancient Rome, Monuments in Rome. Work being done in the 19th century uncovered the low… Circi Maxsimi et Palatil quae supersunt reliquiae et parietinae quemadmodum nunc uisuntur exacte delineatae. The design was oblong in shape, with a long barrier (spina) that ran down the middle of the trackcontaining statues and monuments. Suetonius in Claudius discusses the changes that the emperor Claudius made to the Circus Maximus: “…substituting marble starting-gates and gilded turning-posts for earlier work in tufa and wood. The Circus Maximus had the following main features: Circus Maximus Reconstructionby B. Fletcher (Public Domain). The Circus Maximus was located in a valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills in Rome. Situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine Hills, it was the first and largest stadium in … A low barrier wall called the spina divided the length of the race track. Cite This Work The seats at the closed curved end date from the early 1st century CE. The Circus Maximus (Latin for greatest or largest circus; Italian: Circo Massimo) is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. As the popularity of the races increased, the Romans started to build a stadium type structure that had starting gates at one end, with the Arch of Titus at the other and was surrounded by stands on three sides (3). Web. One of the most interesting facts about the Circus Maximus is that the area, which used to draw crowds of over 100,000 spectators to watch epic chariot races, was irrigated in the 12th century and used to grow crops. Dionysius of Halicarnassus. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. Web. It is in Via Del Circo Massimo and lies between Palatine and Aventine hills. Victorious charioteers not only became rich with large cash prizes but they also became the darlings of the crowd, particularly with those who had placed bets, which were sometimes huge. The first edition of this stadium style building commissioned by Tarquinius in the 6th century BC using timber. Three times they were repeated in every detail. Ancient History Encyclopedia. De Triumphis, Liber Unus." Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Where is the Circus Maximus in Rome: Circus Maximus location and and how to get there. He was the first to have covered seating built, before the spectators had stood. In addition, Rome had many other games and up to 20 of these had one day or more at the Circus Maximus. Fully animated horses and chariots proceed down the track where various sections of the Spina or barrier of the Circus Maximus are seen, firstly, looking southeast from within the track as the horses advance toward the camera-view. Th Circus Maximus / Circo Massimo is in Rome city center, at the back of the Colosseum, between the Palatine and Aventine hill.. Its location was originally called Valle Murcia (Murcia Valley) and its official modern address is Via del Circo Massimo, 00186 Roma RM, Italy. VROMA, July 2003. An exploration of texts and images from Falvey Library's Special Collections works on ancient Greece and Rome. The Circus of Maxentius is the best preserved ancient Roman circus and only the Circus Maximus in Rome was larger than it. "The Location of the Obelisks in the Circus Maximus in Rome." Unfortunately, the Circus Maximus today probably looks a lot like how the original Circus Maximus looked, a flat and sandy track. This website is a project of the Aurelius Digital Humanities Initiative at Falvey Memorial Library. "Livy's History of Rome: Book 33." Julius Caesar enlarged this circus to 1800 feet in length by 350 feet wide. The Circus Maximus was a chariot racetrack in Rome first constructed in the 6th century BCE. During the reign of Claudius it was rebuilt with marble. The pedestal and obelisk originally stood on the spina of the Circus Maximus, where it was placed by the emperor Augustus in 10 BCE, twenty years after the successful annexation of Egypt as a Roman province (Rushforth, Latin Historical Inscriptions, p. 3. All circuses consisted of an oblong race track with a long stone divider called a spina running down the center. It was partially excavated in the 20th century CE and then remodelled but it continues today as one of the modern city’s most important public spaces, hosting huge crowds at music concerts and rallies. Original seats were revealed, as were the starting gates and the spina. Now it is located in Piazza del Popolo. The first excavations were carried out under Pope Sixtus V in 1587 CE and the two obelisks which had originally stood as part of the spina were recovered. Circus Maximus. The Circus Maximus was designed for chariot racing, but it was also used for other events such as wild animal hunts, gladiatorial combats, athletic events and processions (Grout 1). Its circumference was a mile. Horses and boxers…provided the entertainment” (Aicher 298). "Circus Maximus." The Circus Maximus measured 621 m (2,037 ft) in length and 118 m (387 ft) in width. Cartwright, Mark. ... Shops outside the circus would have served the needs of the spectators. Please help us create teaching materials on Mesopotamia (including several complete lessons with worksheets, activities, answers, essay questions, and more), which will be free to download for teachers all over the world. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who wrote during Augustus’s reign, gives a description of the actual dimensions of the circus, “measuring approximately 2,037 feet in length and 387 feet in width” (Grout 2). Today not many elements remind us of this structure – they include the outline of the spina, one of its restored entrances and the remains of viewing loggia on the edges of the Palatine Hill, from where in the past emperors and dignitaries looked upon Circus Maximus – a grand Roman hippodrome. Due to the large amount of spectators that attended events at the Circus, Augustus placed his obelisk trophy on the spina (Aicher 241). The dividing barrier or spina at the Circus Maximus featured the Obelisco Flaminio. Construction of the building began in the year 135 under the direction of the Emperor Hadrian, who intended to use it as mausoleum for himself and his family. Horses too became famous and much followed by the knowledgeable crowd. "Onuphrii Panvinii Veronensis, De Ludis Circensibus, Libri II. Victorious charioteers not only became rich with large cash prizes but they also became the darlings of the crowd. McManus, Barbara F. "THE CIRCUS: ROMAN CHARIOT RACING." The Circus Maximus is an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium… Generally, the format would be to have 12 chariots racing in t… The greatest horseman of all, Gaius Appuleius Diocles, who won… The curved seat end continues to be excavated today whilst the main part of the circus is still used for large public events such as concerts and rallies. However, the latter two were re-covered and now lie some 9 m under the present ground level. Please support Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation. 6 Facts about the Circus Maximus. Seats (150,000 in Caesar's time) were on terraces over stone arched vaults. Because the area is prone to flooding, it’s also suited for agriculture. The Circus Maximus had the seating capacity of 150,000 to 350,000 (the size depends on the ancient source), plus spectators were able to watch from the hillsides. "The most famous of all the circuses in Rome". Web. 28 Mar. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the Publishing Director at AHE. The Roman architectural historian Vitruvius also describes a temple of Ceres in the Circus and that it was decorated with terracotta statues or gilt bronze (On Architecture 3.3.5). Circi Maximi et Anteiqui Imperatorum Romanorum palatil icnographia diligenter, Circi Maximi et Palatil Antiqui imperatorum Romanorum ex heis quae supersunt. Many of the ancient sources discuss the various different amounts of races that could during a period of time at the Circus Maximus, but the most was probably during Domitian’s reign when 100 races occurred in one day (2). Its principal function was as a chariot racetrack and host of the Roman Games (Ludi Romani) which honoured Jupiter. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Circus_Maximus/. 28 Mar. Situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and largest stadium in … The Circus Maximus (Latin for greatest or largest circus ; Italian: Circo Massimo) is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue located in Rome, Italy. Print. But during the imperial era, the circus was the city’s main racetrack. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Its principal function was as a chariot racetrack and host of the Roman Games (Ludi Romani) which honoured Jupiter. "Circus Maximus." Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Indeed, when the circus attained its greatest size, in the heyday of the imperial age, it measured no less than 600m in length and 200m in width, and could accommodate up to 300,000 spectators.. Photo credits by Google Maps. Web. We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. The second obelisk which had stood in the centre of the spina dates to Thutmosis II (1504-1450 BCE) and was originally made for the temple of Amon at Karnak. 13 Apr. Thank you! The Circus Maximus uses in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries At the end of the 19th century, the Circus Maximus had agricultural plots, a Jewish cemetery, warehouses and industrial buildings. It was finished in the year 139 and a short time later, it became a military building, which in the year 403 would be integrated to the Aurelian Walls. Life, Death, and Entertainment in the Roman Empire. Constantine I intended it for Constantinople but after remaining at the docks of Alexandria for 25 years, Constantius II brought it to Rome in 357 CE. Written by Mark Cartwright, published on 16 May 2018 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Livy discusses the different games that occurred at the Circus Maximus and the amount in which they occurred: “The Roman Games in the Circus Maximus and the scenic plays on the stage were exhibited by the curule aediles, P. Cornelius Scipio and Cneius Manlius Vulso, on a more splendid scale than usual, and amid greater hilarity on the part of the spectators owing to the recent successes in the field. The Circus was also used for other public events such as the Roman Games and gladiator fights and was last used for chariot races in the 6th century CE. 2015. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 16 May 2018. This also allowed for the seating to be divided, so spectators had certain areas where they could be (Potter 238). Print. University of Chicago, n.d. 2015. A U-shaped structure with seats on three sides and a low wall running down the middle of the arena around which the chariots raced, it was rebuilt in the time of Julius Caesar (1st century bc) to seat an estimated 150,000 spectators. Under Trajan, the biggest transformations were made, including the addition of seating. In 1934, the Fascist government planned to build a new road leading to the Circus Maximus and use the space. Polzer, Joseph. "Circus Maximus." This once stood at the east end of the spina but was relocated to Piazza del Popolo. Circus Maximus [Present Day]by Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA). It became the largest Circus or racetrack in the Roman Empire. Near the Tiber River was the largest and oldest chariot-racing tracks of ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder in Encyclopedia tried to demonstrate how large the Circus actually was: “1,800 feet long and 600 feet wide, with three acres of buildings and seats for 250,000 spectators…” (Aicher 299). Circus Maximus literally means ‘Biggest Stadium’, the Circus was Rome’s oldest and largest space, primarily a gigantic chariot racing track as featured in the Film ‘Ben Hur’. Panvinio, Onofrio. Much of the stadium is destroyed today, mainly due to fire and negligence of successive regimes. The chariots themselves were colour-coded (red, white, green and blue) and could be pulled by teams of 4, 6, 8 or 12 horses. N.p. : n.p., 1939.Penelope. Circus Maximus, largest of the Roman hippodromes and one of the largest sports arenas ever built. Villanova University, n.d. In the year 590, while a great epidemic of plague devastated the city, the Pope Gregory I had a vision of Saint Michael the Archangelon top of the castle, announcing the end of the epidemic. Villanova Digital Library. Chariot Racing. Two large stone metaeon either end of the spina served as turning markers. The Circus Maximus can be considered as the largest building ever put up for entertainment purposes.. Today only land elevations from Circus were left, where once stood whole walls and stands. The Circus Maximus was an elongated U-shaped structure with raised tiers* of seats on three sides and a series of 12 starting gates called carceres along the open end. The Circus Maximus, located in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills, is the oldest and largest public space in Rome and legend says that the Circus was originally laid out in the 6th century BCE by the first Roman kings, although, it first took on its distinctive shape under Julius Caesar. Down the center was a barrier (spina), with pillars at each end around which charioteers had to maneuver -- carefully. Print. The Circus Maximus is Rome’s best example of a perfectly preserved structure in which nothing of the actual structure has survived. Uses. At its largest during the 1st century CE following its rebuilding after the fire of 64 CE, the Circus had a capacity for 250,000 spectators seated on banks 30 m wide and 28 m high. by Ubisoft Entertainment SA (Copyright, fair use). (Potter 237). Cartwright, M. (2018, May 16). During that time, most of the structures that weren’t quarried were still standing. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. Last modified May 16, 2018. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan, 1999. 27 Mar. ruins This was the location of the "spina", or raised middle of the Circus Maximus. Web.