The Roman circus was a large open-air venue used for public events in the ancient Roman Empire. The circuses were similar to the ancient Greek hippodromes, although serving varying purposes. Along with theatres and amphitheatres, Circuses were one of the main entertainment sites of the time. Circuses were venues for chariot races, horse races, and performances that commemorated important events of the empire were performed there. For events that involved re-enactments of naval battles, the circus was flooded with water.
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The performance space of the Roman circus was an oblong rectangle of two linear sections of a race track separated by a median strip running along the length in the middle of the space, and capped at both ends with two semicircular sections connecting the linear sections, creating a circuit for the races. The strip was called the spina and usually featured ornate columns, statues and commemorative obelisks. Much like the amphitheatre, the performance surface of the circus was mostly surrounded by ascending seating, though there were sometimes interruptions in the seating at one or both ends of the circus.
There are similar buildings, called stadia, which were used for Greek style athletics. These buildings were similar in design but typically smaller than circuses; however, the distinction is not always clear. An example of this type is the Stadium of Domitian.
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