ciRcna 



CIRCUS. 



exact idea of the form of this building, which both in iu outline and 

 it* me very much resembled the Greek Stadium. Them weru many 

 cirei in Rome, of which the Circus Maximus and the Circiu Agonalia 

 were perhaps the largest. The former may still be distinctly traced ; 

 the Utter retains its external form only in the Piazza Navona of Rome. 

 The Circiu Aurelianus, or, according to some, of Heliogabahu, stood 

 near the Amphitheatrum Castrense. The niiiw of the Kkuninian Circus 

 are hid beneath the pavement of the city. The Circus of Nero was 

 begun by Caligula ; part of its site is now occupied by the Basilica of 

 St. Peter. This circus is said to have been longer than the cathedral 



Section of Seats. 



Construction leading to 



the Pulvinar. 



1 TPl I . 



Amphora used In 



constructing 



the arch. 



V -; 



Entrance. 



Seat for 

 Senator*. 



[PUn of the Circus of Cancalla.] 

 1000 feet 500 50 100 



Rianconi makn the Cireni of Caracalla 255 French toise long, and 50 toie 

 wide; the pina 142 tolses lonir, and the stait from the carceres to the 

 npina 79 toisei. The widths of the openings between the spina and the 

 walls of the circus are 21-3 toioes at the first goal, 19-S at the second goal, 

 17 toiiei at the turn on the other side of the second goal, and 15-4 toines 

 at the final goal. The width of the vaulting is 4 toises. (A toise is about 

 6-39C English feet.) 



and colonnade in front. (Fontana's ' Tempio Vaticano,' p. 245.) 

 Another circus, begun by Nero and finished by Hadrian, was situated in 

 the gardens of Domitian, near the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Several 



antiquities and paintings were discovered here some yean ago. In the 

 Gardens of Sallust there was a fine circus, which was also adapted for 

 the exhibition of naumachuc. The Circus of Flora was on the Quiriiul 

 Hill. There i a circus, not far from the Appian Way, near the t.-ijii. 

 of Ciccilia Metclla, about two miles from Rome, in a high state of 

 preservation. It is probably of a later date than many of those M hi. li 

 were constructed within the city ; and perhaps to the circumstance of 

 its being at a distance from the city walls, its present state of preser- 

 vation may principally be owing. Antiquaries have called it th < 

 of Caracalla, although no proof, we believe, has been discovered fr<mi 

 inscriptions that this is the circus built by, and commemorated mi 'In- 

 come of, that emperor. 



The Circus of Caracalla, of which we have given a plan and a - - 

 f the seats, maybe considered a perfect model of this kind of building, 

 both in judicious arrangement and ingenious construction. Tip 

 sides are not quite parallel : one end is semicircular, and the carceres 

 at the opposite end, from which the chariots started, are formed on a 

 segment of a circle, the chord of which is inclined to the long sides of 

 the circus. The spina or raised division, which runs along the middle 

 of the circus, is a kind of podium or basement, in appearance like a 

 thick dwarf wal 1. It, is not exactly parallel to either side of the circus. 

 Of the carceres, which are twelve in number, six are placed on each 

 aide of the entrance which was intended for the use of the processions, 

 and are so disposed, by the inclination of the chord line of the segment . 

 on which they may be said to be set off, that the starting of the twrlve 

 chariots was equalised. The carceres were most probably COVITII! ; 

 they were also divided by partition walls with terminal figures in f n >nt 

 of them, and arched over, with a cornice above the arches : the semi- 

 circular opening was filled with a window frame of marble, highly 

 enriched ; and they were closed with gates, most probably of bronze. 

 A very tolerable idea of the architectural appearance of a circus may 

 be formed from the inspection of a bas-relief in the British Museum. 



There is also a representation of a marble fragment in Bianconi's 

 work on this circus, in which men are seen opening the bronze gates, 

 in order, as we may judge from their hurried action, to let oxit tho 

 chariots at the given signal. The spina, which was rounded at tli 

 extremities, was decorated with mebc, or goals, each formed of 

 long cones : these cones are represented in the cut of a chariot race in 

 the article CHARIOT, col. 759. Conical bells, called from their Rha)ie 

 eggs (ora), were placed on the apex of each cone, and served to nuinU T 

 the rounds which had been run. Dolphins were also employed for this 

 purpose; these cones were sometimes gilt. In the basement of the 

 cones in the Circus of Caracalla there is a small chamber formed ; and 

 the basement* are separated from the spina. In the centre of the 

 spina there was sometimes one of those enormous obelisks whirl 

 brought by the emperors from Egypt. Previous to the time of 

 Augustus, a long pole occupied the centre. Small temples, statues 



columni with statues on their summits, and altars, adorned the inter- ' 

 mediate spaces between the centre and the goals ; so that the spina : 

 must have presented a highly decorated and very pleasing appearance. 

 The Porta Triiimphalis, or gate by which the victor left the circus, 

 was at the end opposite to the carceres. It is not improbable that the 

 pulvinar, or emperor's coat, which in the Circus of Caracalla was a 

 loggia with columns, was constructed at that part of the circus where 

 the emperor, being near the carceres, would have the best view of the 



Coin of Tiajan. 



British Mnwiun. Actual size. Bronze. 414} grain*, 

 start and of the arrival at the goal At the ends of the carceres of the 



Circus of Caracalla were two towers, in one of which was a M. 

 leading to the roofs of the carceres. The people occupied the stono 

 seats along the sides and at the semicircular end of the circus. The 

 Knrijnis, a canal ten feet wide ami t.-n <lr<-j>, was formed as a protection 

 to the spectators, when they were not separated from the open space 

 by a high podium or basement. The Circus of Caracalla has the 

 podium and no Euripiis. Some notion of the appearance of t!i 

 may be collected from the medals of Caracalla and Trajan. In these 



Coin o'f Caracalla. 

 British Museum. Actual size. Bronze. 4 09 grains. 



medals the mete and the quadrigic are discernible, and the obeli *k iu 

 the centre of the spina. 



