There are many societies that throughout the centuries they have left us their legacy: their customs, their sculptures, their paintings and in some cases, their language. But in other societies, such as the Roman during the time of the empirethey left us much more like their aqueducts or their roads, in addition to the Roman circuses
In Superhistory we are not only going to tell you the origin of the Roman Circus, but also its characteristics and everything that the Romans could see inside it and how has evolved to the presentto give us, for example, the modern stages of today.
Origin of the Roman Circus
If we want to know the origin of the Roman Circus, we must look back even further, we must look at the racecourses and stadiums that were seen in the glorious era of Greece, which were the inspiration for the Roman Empire.
The Ancient Rome of the Empire has been one of the most important civilizations of the history of mankind. All the advances and investigations in the many sectors have influenced until today. In the time of greatest splendor it came to have a territory from Great Britain to the Sahara desert in Africa, and from the Iberian Peninsula to the Euphrates, possibly being the most important empire in our history.
The capital of the Roman Empire, as was Rome, underwent many changes over the years, passing first from being a monarchy to a republic and from this to the empire, the most glorious of all times. But if there was something that stood out in all these periods, it was the passion that society had for shows and that is why multiple different shows arose.
Characteristics of the Roman Circus
If we look at the Roman circuses, especially those that are well preserved, we can see some of their differentiated parts. They were rectangular and very elongated enclosures, with a semicircular area on the short side. Its construction was based on different stones together with wood and concrete, together with all of them they made the masonry; from the outside you could see some arches. The main parts of the Roman circus were the following:
cavea
The cavea are the current stands, those areas where were the spectators, which could be sitting or standing. Some of these caveas, like the one in the Circus Maximus in Rome, had the capacity to accommodate no more and no less than up to 150,000 people.
They were placed on a podium and the sand raised them even a little higher. Two cavea were straight while the other cavea was semicircular in shape. In order to enter the stands, one had to access through the doors of the lateral areas, through some corridors covered by vaults and internal stairs that connected the interior; a structure similar to our current soccer stadiums. Other areas were:
- Porta Triumphalis (Triumphal Gate): the door through which the winner would cross after winning the event.
- Porta Pompae: here were the horses, the starting points and the entrance of the gladiators.
- Prisons: they were the starting points of the participants.
- Pulvinar: the area reserved for those who sponsored the events.
Sand
the sand was the space where horse races and other shows were held. Although they generally had a quadrangular or rectangular shape, there were some like the one in the famous Colosseum in Rome, which were circular or semicircular.
spina
Also known as a spine, it was found within the previous area, the sand; which he divided into two equal parts and thus mark the different directions of the races. In her, you could see decoration such as fountains or columns; in addition to statues or sculptures if it was an important Roman circus. For example, in the Circus Maximus it was in its center the Karnak obelisk of ancient Egypt.
In the areas of the ends of the spine the goals were located, which consisted of 3 conical pillars and 7 egg-shaped stones and 7 dolphins made of ivory, which were shot down by the participants in each of the laps. .
Activities that were done in the Roman Circus
Many people do not know that within Roman circuses had many activities and it is that the movies and series based on these themes only focused on the battles of stables and between the gladiators.
If there was one show above another in the circus, it was horse racing. These races consisted of chariots with four horses and were sponsored, on many occasions, by the emperor himself. These carriages were driven by charioteers who were divided into various classes such as whites, reds, blues (representing the upper classes) and greens (representing the popular class)
The fans of these shows were supporters of one side or the other and came to confront each other verbally and physically, leading to unpleasant and harsh fights.
One of the biggest events that could be seen was the Naumaquias, known as naval battles. They were one of the most important and successful shows in ancient times. These battles used to be very big and majestic, so not all circuses were prepared to hold them.
And of course, the battles between the gladiators could also be seen, and on many other occasions against beasts that they brought from other parts of the world, such as lions or elephants.
These are some of the activities that we are sure, to this day, that were held inside the Roman Circus. And there are still certain theories that the Romans could have held some much bloodier and more violent shows.
The Roman Circus was one of the most important parts of the Empire and also today, since some are still in perfect condition and can still be visited. If you cannot travel to Rome to see the Colosseum, we advise you to travel to Mérida, in Extremadura; where many parts of the Roman settlement in the Iberian Peninsula are preserved.