{"id":4776,"date":"2023-04-07T10:04:06","date_gmt":"2023-04-07T09:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=4776"},"modified":"2023-04-07T10:04:06","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T09:04:06","slug":"what-does-circus-mean-in-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/what-does-circus-mean-in-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"What does circus mean in ancient rome?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The term circus in ancient Rome referred to a specific type of entertainment venue. These circular arenas were typically used for horse and chariot races, and occasionally for other public events such as executions. The first Roman circus was built in the 6th century BCE, and by the 1st century CE there were over a dozen circuses spread across the city of Rome. The largest and most famous of these was the Circus Maximus, which could accommodate over 150,000 spectators.<\/p>\n

Circuses were public entertainment venues in ancient Rome. They featured chariot and horse races, acrobatics, juggling, and clowning.<\/p>\n

What was the circus in ancient Rome? <\/h2>\n

The Circus Maximus was the largest stadium in ancient Rome, built for chariot races. Roman circuses were the most important centres of entertainment in the Roman cities, apart from the theatres and amphitheatres. The circus was a rectangular arena with a length of 600 feet and a width of 300 feet. The arena was divided into two sections by a cross-barrier (spina), with a length of 150 feet. The starting gates (carceres) were at the end of the arena, and the finish line was at the other end. The track (metae) around the arena was U-shaped.<\/p>\n

Circus Maximus was the largest chariot stadium in ancient Rome. The 600 meter long stadium was located between the Palatine and Aventine hill and could accommodate as many as 150,000 spectators.<\/p>\n