The Roman Circus and Amphitheatre
Definitions
circus: chariot race track
amphitheatre: oval building for gladiatorial
games, wild beast shows, etc.
The Circus Maximus
(The Greatest Circus)
•Located along a brook that ran
between the Aventine and
Palatine hills
•traditionally was thought to
have been founded in the sixth
century BC by Tarquinius
Priscus, the fifth king of Rome
•By channeling and bridging the
stream, an euripus was created
that served as a barrier (spina)
for the track.
•Livy records that in 329 BC
permanent starting gates added.
History of the Circus Maximus
•Starting gates rebuilt in
174 BC
•Seven large wooden eggs
set up between columns
on the spina to indicate
the completion of each
lap.
•Reconstruction by Julius
Caesar (60-44 B.C.)
Pulvinar
After a fire in 31 BC,
Augustus constructed the
pulvinar, a shrine built
into the seating below the
Palatine Hill, which was
used as an imperial box to
watch the games and
where images of the gods
were installed after having
been brought in
procession (pompa) from
the Capitol.
Circus Maximus and the Palatine
The Pulvinar Today
The Starting Gate
In 33 BC, Agrippa supplemented the eggs with
seven bronze dolphins, and had another set of
eggs placed near the starting gates to mark laps
for the charioteers.
The Obelisk
•The obelisk taken by
Augustus from
Heliopolis soon after
the annexation of Egypt
in 30 BC was the first
to be brought to Rome.
•In 10 BC, Augustus
also erected it on the
spina as a dedication to
the Sun and monument
of his conquest of
Egypt.
Obelisks of Rome
Erecting
the
Obelisk
The
Obelisk
Today
In 1587, it was
excavated at the
order of Pope
Sixtus V and
removed to its
present site in
the Piazza del
Popolo.
Dionysus of Halicarnassus
on the Circus Maximus
•Dionysius of Halicarnassus described the Circus Maximus in 7
BC as "one of the most beautiful and admirable structures in
Rome."
•It measured approximately 2,035 feet in length and 460 feet in
width and could seat 150,000.
•Outside, says Dionysius, "there are entrances and ascents for
the spectators at every shop, so that the countless thousands of
people may enter and depart without inconvenience." Inhabited
by cooks, astrologers, and prostitutes, it was in this arcade of
wooden shops (tabernae) that the disastrous fire of AD 64
broke out during the reign of Nero.
The Circus Maximus Today
East End of the Circus Maximus
Roman Chariots
Biga (two-horse chariot)
Quadriga (four-horse chariot)
Piazza Amerina
Mosaic
Other Circuses in Rome
Circus of Nero
Circus of Maxentius
Circus of Nero
Circus of Nero Today
Plan of Old St. Peter’s
The cross on the spina marks the probable place, according to
Lanciani, of execution of S. Peter = Chapel of the Crucifixion.
Location of the Obelisk
Obelisk of Nero’s Circus
•Possibly quarried at Aswan in the reign of
Nebkaure Amenemhet II (B.C. 19th Century), and
erected at the pylon of the Temple of the Sun in
Heliopolis.
•Erected at the Julian Forum in Alexandria by the
order of Octavianus (the first Roman Emperor
Augustus [reigned B.C. 27 - A.D. 14])
•In A.D. 37 (40?), the then Roman Emperor
Caligula transported it to Rome, and erected it in
the Caligula Circus (later the Nero Circus (Circus
Gai et Neronis), or the Vatican Circus).
•The time elapsed ....., the then Pope Sixtus V
[reigned 1585-1590] directed the obelisk to be reerected at the center of the colonnaded square,
so-called St. Peter's Square in 1586, in front of the
"new" Basilica of St. Peter, which was under
construction at that time.
Circus of Maxentius
The Circus of Maxentius,
built at the beginning of
the fourth century near
the Via Appia. It is the
best preserved of all
Roman circuses. It was
513 meters long and 91
meters wide, and held
some 10,000 people.
Model
The Obelisk
•Created at Aswan (Upper Egypt, 640
km south of Cairo) by the order of
Roman Emperor Domitianus for his
accession of Domitianus in A.D. 81.
•Carried to Rome and erected
between the Serapeum Temple
•Maxentius [reigned 306-312] moved it
to the Circo di Massenzio.
•At some unknown date, the obelisk
was toppled and broken into a few
pieces.
•Finally, in 17th Century, Pope
Innocentius X [reigned 1644-1655]
decided to re-erect it in Piazza Navona
in commemoration of his election.
Because he had lived in the building
which faces the Piazza Navona.
Stadium of Domitian
•Built by Domitian in the
Campus Martius for athletic
contests
•Used for several years for
gladiatorial combats after the
Colosseum was damaged by fire
in 217.
•Arcades were occupied by
brothels
•Restored by Alexander
Severus, and sometimes called
in the Middle Ages circus
Alexandri
Remains of the Entrance
Piazza Navonna
•Seats for about 15,000 spectators
•According to the legend, S. Agnes met a martyr's death in the brothels
in the arcades of this stadium, and in her honour a church was built in
the ninth century in the middle of the cavea on the west side, which was
afterwards known as S. Agnese in Agone or de Cryptis Agonis
•The Piazza Navona, the largest in the city, now called officially Circo
Agonale, preserves almost exactly the shape and size of the stadium. The
piazza itself corresponds closely with the arena, the length of which
seems to have been about 250 metres, and the surrounding buildings
stand on the ruins of the cavea.
•Under the church of S. Agnese remains of brick and concrete walls,
travertine pilasters and the seats of the cavea are still to be seen, and
other traces have been found beneath the existing buildings at other
points. For excavations in the sixteenth century, see LS ii.228-231;
iii.224-225; iv.190; LR 498-500; HJ 592-594.
The Flavian Amphitheatre
•Begun by the founder of the Flavian
dynasty, Vespasian
•Reached the top of the second level
before his death in AD79
•His son and successor Titus added the
third and fourth levels and celebrated the
dedication of the enlarged structure in
AD80 (Martial’s Spectalces)
•Further minor additions were made by
Titus's brother and successor Domitian
•Later restoration work, especially in the
3rd century
•The exterior dimensions of the wall are
188m length, 15m breadth, circumference
527m and height 50m
HEIGHT: 48.5m
DATE: ca.AD70-80
Built on the site of Nero's large lake in the gardens of his palace, the Golden
House
The Colosseum
Coin Minted
by Titus
The
Facade
•Exterior decorated with a facade of engaged columns and pilasters that
serve no structural purpose
•Half-columns of the first three levels from the ground floor upwards
display the Greek architectural orders:
•1. Doric (with a cushion-like capital-piece above the actual column)
•2. Ionic (with spiralling volutes at the capital)
•3. Corinthian (with a capital in the form of acanthus leaves)
•The top storey has Corinthian pilasters.
Building the
Flavian
Amphitheatre
The Arena
The floor of the elliptical arena (86m x 54m) was presumably
made of wood, covered with sand for the gladiatorial combats
and wild beast fights.
•Provision had to be made for the drainage of the site through a sewer
before any construction could begin
•Natural flow of water through the excavated hollow was useful for the
staging of mock naval battles in the arena
•The substructure goes down 6.08m to a brick pavement excavated to
reveal the remains of dens for wild beasts, elevators and other devices
Seats
•For the spectators' protection against wild beast attacks a fence
surrounded the fighting area
•Behind this and on a platform about 4m above the arena was the
podium for distinguished spectators, particularly city officials.
•Above this is the cavea, where most of the seating was placed,
consisting of two main sections
•20 rows of marble seats (visible in the center)
Velarium
velarium: fabric canopy provided relief from sun
A Domed Arena!
Venerable Bede
(c. 673-735)
While the Colosseum
stands, Rome shall
stand;
when the Colosseum
falls, Rome shall fall;
when Rome falls, the
world shall fall.
Amphitheatres in the Roman World
Spread all over the empire there were more than 200 large and
countless small amphitheatres, of which almost half are situated in
Italy.
Arles (S France), ca 80, outer: 136 by 107m, arena: 69 by 38m
El Djem (Tunisia), ca 230. outer: 149 by 124m, length arena: 65m
Leptis Magna (Libya), ca 60, outer 100 by 80m
Nîmes
. (France), ca 80, outer: 132 by 101m, arena: 69 by 38m
Pompeji (Italy), ca 80 BC, outer: 135 by 104m
Rome (Italy), 70-80, outer: 188 by 156m, arena: 80 bu 54m
Arles
(S France), ca 80, outer: 136 by
107m, arena: 69 by 38m
Nimes
(France), ca 80, outer: 132 by 101m, arena: 69 by 38m
Pompeii
(Italy), ca 80 BC, outer: 135 by 104m
This is the oldest
amphitheatre and was
built in 80 BC.
Held 12,000
spectators.
Riot in Pompeii
59 A.D.
El Djem
(Tunisia), ca 230. outer: 149 by 124m, length arena: 65m
Leptis Magna
(Libya), ca 60, outer 100 by 80m