Circus Maximus
Discuss about the topic Circus Maximus in Rome. The Circus Maximus was the largest entertainment venue in Rome, they held a range of events such as gladiator and beast fights but it was famous for chariot races. Spectators attended to place bets on who would win in chariot races or just to watch for entertainment.
Circus Maximus was also used to celebrate religious events. A well-known event was called the ‘Ludi’ which was held annually according to the Roman calendar. The largest venue that held Ludi events was Circus Maximus in which roman games were held for several days to honour Julius Ceaser. Roman games included chariot racing, athletics, plays and recitals, beast hunts and gladiator contests.
The Circus was built to hold up to 250.000 people, which is equivalent to one quarter of Rome's population. It was a daily routine for the romans to hold a race everyday where the public would go to watch and admission was free of charge so even the poor people of Rome would be able to go watch. Also women and men were allowed to sit next to each other which was very unusual because that was forbidden in every other venue. Attending races opened opportunities for flirtation and was very popular in the roman community.
The fifth king Tarquinius Priscus built the track between both Palatine and the Aventine hills. The original Circus Maximus was built out of wood but unfortunately had gotten burnt down multiple time so during the Roman empire they decided to rebuild the Circus Maximus using marble and concrete to prevent it from burning down again, also because it was a much more stable and strong structure.
The architect of the building was an elongated oval with a barrier placed in the center known as the ‘spina’. The spina had many roman gods placed on them as the Circus Maximus was dedicated to many gods. The spina also was the reason why the races were very dangerous as they made the chariots turn at very dangerous speeds which wasn’t much of a concern during
Circus Maximus was also used to celebrate religious events. A well-known event was called the ‘Ludi’ which was held annually according to the Roman calendar. The largest venue that held Ludi events was Circus Maximus in which roman games were held for several days to honour Julius Ceaser. Roman games included chariot racing, athletics, plays and recitals, beast hunts and gladiator contests.
The Circus was built to hold up to 250.000 people, which is equivalent to one quarter of Rome's population. It was a daily routine for the romans to hold a race everyday where the public would go to watch and admission was free of charge so even the poor people of Rome would be able to go watch. Also women and men were allowed to sit next to each other which was very unusual because that was forbidden in every other venue. Attending races opened opportunities for flirtation and was very popular in the roman community.
The fifth king Tarquinius Priscus built the track between both Palatine and the Aventine hills. The original Circus Maximus was built out of wood but unfortunately had gotten burnt down multiple time so during the Roman empire they decided to rebuild the Circus Maximus using marble and concrete to prevent it from burning down again, also because it was a much more stable and strong structure.
The architect of the building was an elongated oval with a barrier placed in the center known as the ‘spina’. The spina had many roman gods placed on them as the Circus Maximus was dedicated to many gods. The spina also was the reason why the races were very dangerous as they made the chariots turn at very dangerous speeds which wasn’t much of a concern during