Christopher Fisher
Would a “day out” to the Circus Maximus be more enjoyable than to the Colosseum?
It is difficult to say which of these places would have been more popular to a typical Roman than the other, as we have many mixed opinions on the subject of preferences and dislikes of both these sports. The Colosseum seating capacity was estimated at 50,000 people, but the Circus Maximus had a seating capacity estimated at 250,000 to 350,000 people, which might be an indication to which event saw more people, and therefore, which one was more popular.
However we also have to look at the sports themselves in order to judge Roman opinion, which is difficult, considering that we are a different civilisation to them altogether. In the Amphitheatre, the spectacle was all about domination, with the barbaric world being played by the interior of the arena, and the civilised world (i.e. Rome) being placed on the outside and containing the wild part. This concept must have pleased the Roman public, as there is widespread graffiti to show the favourite gladiators, and obviously as only men could go to this event, it might have been considered a typical daily/weekly popular thing for males to do. The structure of the Colosseum is perhaps another attraction for people, as wherever you sat, you always got a good view of the entire arena. Then there was the encouraging aspect of the canvas that blocked the sun from the spectators, which must have drawn a crowd when being used. The actual Gladiators were well known and admired by the public for their skill, endurance, and bravery to stare death in the face. Blood seemed to appease the public much more than it does for us today, as they had a much more religious significance for it, which was the reason why the games became a spectacle in the first place. In the Amphitheatre, there was the thrill of being able to see a man killed in a gruesome fashion, or a magnificent beast cut down by a sword. Barbaric in our eyes maybe, but normal and widely accepted to the majority of the Romans.
