Circus Maximus<!--more-->

Hallie Paxton                                                                                                                                                                         										February 21, 2011

Circus Maximus

The Circus Maximus was an ancient racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome.    It was mainly used for chariot racing, but was also used for other entertainment as well. It was the biggest stadium in Rome and measured 621 m in length and 118 m in width (Wikipedia).  It was built sometime in the 6<sup>th</sup> century and was said to be designed by the fifth king of Rome, Tarquinius Priscus. He created the first track for chariot racing in between the Palatine and Aventine hills (Circus Maximus). The Circus Maximus was rebuilt a couple of times during the Republic. Then Trajan remodeled and added onto it which left it being able to hold as many as 250,000 people (Boatwright 383).

The Romans learned how to do urban planning, chariot racing and many other things from the Etruscan kings. During the time the Circus Maximus was built the Etruscan kings ruled the Latin population. That is until 509 B.C.E. when the Latins overthrew the kings and slowly the monarchy turned into a government. There was a lot of class division at this time as well. There were the large land owners, the patricians, a lot of farmers and small landowners called plebeians. These were the groups that made up the agricultural population. The people were fighting the kings at first until they overthrew them. Then they were fighting among themselves to get power in the government (Fiero B1.139).

The Circus Maximus is typical of it era because there were many racing and entertainment stadiums all over Rome. It was the most popular form of entertainment at the time mostly because it was free. It was also typical because they would have a procession honoring the gods before the games began. They did this a lot back then in many different events to show their appreciation to the gods (Boatwright 73).

The Circus Maximus was a very innovative thing at the time because it gave free entertainment to the people of Rome. Even women could attend and sit with the men which was not common for this time. Also the poor were allowed to attend as well (The Circus Maximus). Also chariot racing allowed the lesser magistrates to be acknowledged by the public. Another uncommon thing that took place at the Circus Maximus was gladiator and beast fights, but not as often as most think (Boatwright 383 -386).

Back then people loved going to the Circus Maximus. It was the most popular form of entertainment and was even looked at as a great place to meet a mate. There were not many things that poor people could do back then and this gave them a free source of entertainment where they could be themselves and have a good time. When Augustus took over the Circus Maximus was called the place to go if you wanted to meet other singles (Boatwright 383).

All of the recent articles published that I read just described the Circus Maximus in lengthy detail. I did find that what is left of the Circus Maximus is still being used for entertainment today in Rome. It is sometimes used for concerts and meetings since it is a large public park now. The 2006 Italian World Cup celebration was held there and over 700,000 people attended. It was also used in 2007 for a free concert put on by the British rock band Genesis (Wikipedia).

I think that his work is meaningful because it shows how ancient Roman people lived their lives and spent their free time. The Circus Maximus was an amazing architectural structure that provided great entertainment for so many people at that time. Also, even though it is not still all here it is still being used for free entertainment, which I think is pretty amazing.

The Circus Maximus compares to many other amphitheaters and stadiums at that time, but the one it compares the most to is the Colosseum. The Colosseum covered six acres and could hold 50,000 spectators. The same kind of games were held at both, but chariot racing was the most popular game at both of them. The Circus Maximus was more popular because it was more well known and could hold more people (Fiero B1.154).

I think that one of the most significant things bout this piece of work is that it brought together people that were in different social classes and forced them to communicate. It gave people opportunities that they would normally not have had. I also think it was important because it was the biggest and most popular stadium in Rome from its time. This piece of work sheds light on ancient Roman civilization and was firmly linked to Roman tradition.

<span style="font-size: medium">Work Cited Page</span>

<span style="font-size: medium"> </span>Circus Maximus. <em>http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/circusmaximus.htm</em>. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.

Boatwright, Mary T., Daniel J. Gargola, and Richard J. A. Talbert. <em>The Romans: From Village to Empire</em>. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 72-409. Print.

<em>The Circus Maximus</em>. http://rome.mrdonn.org/circus.html, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.

<em>Circus Maximus</em>. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_Maximus, n.d. <em>Wikipedia</em>. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.

Fiero, Gloria K. <em>The Humanistic Tradition</em>. 6thth ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. B1.137-65. <em>McGraw Hill Connect</em>. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.