The only parts of the ancient structure that can be seen, are at the semicircular end on the Palatine side where the excavations in the 1930s uncovered the seating areas and where new work starting in 1976 has extended and cleaned those excavations, and at the same semicircular end on the Aventine side where excavations began in 1982.
Construction of the Circus
A circus consists of two parallel terraces facing each other along the longer sides of the arena. These were connected at one end by a sharp curve in the terrace, facing the stables at the other end. The architect’s first task was to make sure that each team of racers had to travel roughly the same distance from start to finish of the race. He had three choices: it could take the form of a continuous circle, a large oval with several gentle curves and several straight sectors, or it could follow the Greek example of a relatively narrow and long arena with a turning post at the far end and a second at the near end if more than one lap was to be run. A continuous mound or wall could connect the two turning posts if the architect wished. This was almost always done because it erased the possibility of head-on collisions and meant that another team coming at them at close range did not distract horses.
The floor of the circus was always made of sand; this was to absorb the blood.
The Circus Maxims was laid out in the Murcia Valley between the Palatine and the Aventine hills. It was built into a hillside. Material that was dug out was used to create support on the other side of the building. Seats ran in tiers around the U-shaped arena (except at the open end). A fence ran down the middle, called a spina, to make laps.
The Circus Maximus
The holding capacity for the Circus Maximus was a quarter of a million people! This was about one quarter of Rome’s population. This verifies the fact that the games held in this building were incredibly popular. When building the circus, the Romans meant business, which is exactly what they received.
Chariot Races
As the Circus Maximus was very large and an oval shape, it was perfect for hosting chariot races, a race would consist of the following:
There were twelve teams of horses competing, four, six, eight or twelve at a time under different colours. Red and white were the royal colours, and later green and blue were added. The course was 2,000 feet long, so after running 7 laps, they ran about three miles. The laps run by the chariots were measured by moveable eggs (emblems of Castor and Pollux) and dolphins (emblem of Neptune). Castor, Pollux, and Neptune were the three gods that looked after the horses.
The four-horse chariot race (quadriga) was introduced into the Olympic program in 680 BC. The first horse face for ridden horses was added in 648 BC, and the two-horse chariot race (biga) was added in 408 BC.
There were three types of lines used in the races:
∙ The first group of white lines were the lines which began from the starting gates and served to mark the lanes of the teams during the opening part of the race. Their purpose was clearly to prevent some charioteers from cutting in and heading straight for the right-hand edge of the near turning posts. This would cause collisions at the very start of the race and spoil the fun for the spectators. This shows us that the Roman people who watched these games enjoyed the excitement of the races, and a collision, or a quick win would spoil this.
∙ The next group of lines crossed the lanes at right angles and marked the "break-line"- the point at which the chariots were allowed to leave their lanes and head for the inside position.
∙ The finishing line was often at the near end of the barrier in the left-hand track. This is said to be a good location because, having crossed the line there, the charioteers were able to slow down gradually in the long straight stretch between the near Meta and the starting gates. However, there is much argument about where else the finishing lines were placed and which methods worked best.
The white lines were made from any number of things. Early on, they were called calx or creta. The lines could have been made from a type of lime, a chalk or fine whitish clay, or a white tape held down at various points.
The Colosseum
The Roman amphitheatre was the centre of entertainment in Rome, and all over the Roman Empire. Ruins of amphitheatres and circuses can be found all over the empire.
The Amphitheatre was the place where people went to see fights and chariot races. These fights were between slaves, prisoners of war or criminals, and sometimes wild animals. These fights were so popular that schools were set up to train ordinary men as special fighters, know as Gladiators.
This idea once started out as entertainment at funerals. Two fighters would begin and the crowd would watch. Eventually the crowds got so big that they had to build a place to hold them.
This was not the only reason for building the amphitheatre. When the democratic system was changed to an Imperial one, the emperors needed a way to keep the people happy, although they had lost the right to vote. The fights did exactly this, and by providing the people with the games the people running the empire escaped some very angry Romans. The fact that the emperors chose this as a peacemaker verifies the fact that entertainment was highly regarded by the Romans, for who else would know these people better than their emperor?
History
The destruction of Statilius Taurus’ amphitheatre by fire during Nero’s reign gave Vespasian the opportunity to present the people of Rome with the Roman world’s most spectacular building, the Colosseum. Its original name was the Flavian Amphitheatre. Vespasian was able to have the Colosseum built on a prime inner-city site only because the land was already in the possession of the Caesars, having been sequestered by Nero after the great fire for his hated new palace, the "Golden House". Much of the rubble, which went to build the Colosseum, too was already available on the site.
Titus celebrated the dedication and grand opening of the Colosseum with a stupendous 100-day show that involved battles between dwarfs and cranes, individual battles between male and female gladiators, struggles with no less than 5,000 wild beasts, and finally flooding the arena for a naval engagement between war galleys.
Emperor Hadrian, in his turn, had the arena planted to resemble a jungle, with every shrub and tree concealing a trapdoor, beneath which lay a lion or lioness ready to spring up and do battle with the gladiator or huntsmen.
During the Renaissance, bullfights were the popular sport that the public enjoyed watching.
From the ruins of the Colosseum, archaeologists have been able to put together an idea of what happened at these fights.
Inside the Building.
The arena was used for both naval and gladiatorial battles. The Colosseum had drains that were specifically installed to carry water to and from it, so this is how the Colosseum was either filled with or emptied of the water. However, this was stressful on the construction, it caused the wood to rot, and was a hassle for them to change the floor from wood to water and back again. The gladiatorial battles were much more popular so the naval battles were relocated and the wood was set down permanently. So it is possible for us to assume that the games which involved more blood and gore, and those which involved their fellow man being massacred, were those which the Romans enjoyed the most.
Beneath the floor were holding pens that held the animals for the daily battles. When the time for battle arose, the animals’ cage door would slide open and the animal would have access to a slender hallway too thin for it to turn back once in the hallway. The animal would walk until it would come upon a portcullis that would raise and let the animal into an open elevator cage. Just outside of the cage would be an attendant who would, with the use of counterweights, raise the animal to an upper level corridor. There was a ramp there and the animal would run up the ramp and begin battle. A variety of animals were used for entertainment, ranging from elephants to wild donkeys.
“There was a battle between cranes and also between four elephants; animals both tame and wild were slain to the number of nine thousand; and women (not those of any prominence however) took part in dispatching them. As for the men, several fought in single combat and several groups contended together both in infantry and naval battles.” Cassius Dio LXVI.25 on Titus.
Games were really bloody and for four centuries, men died as entertainment for the crowd. Gladiators went to training schools; most of them were slaves and criminals. So this kind of entertainment was so appealing to the Romans that special schools were set up to teach people the skills they would have needed to become a gladiator.
At first there were fights to the death between wild animals: bear against buffalo, buffalo against elephant, elephant against rhinoceros. And often there were battles between men and beasts, called venationes.
The measurements of the inside of the Colosseum were approximately 280 feet by 175 feet. Overall it measured 615 feet by 510 feet. The stands (seating) measured in at 167 feet and were 159 feet high. The Colosseum was 48 meters high.
There was a catwalk, which surrounded the main floor. On the catwalk were skilled archers who would take care of any animals that went crazy or got too dangerous.
The arena of the Colosseum would fit roughly twelve times into the arena of the Circus Maximus.
The Dimensions of The Colosseum.
Capacity/Seating
The Colosseum could hold 45- 50,000 people.
Spectators would sit in their wood or marble seats while watching the fights going on in the arena. Wooden seats were for the lower class, and marble was for the upper class. There was an extensive system of ramps and staircases under the floor (cuneus) called the Vomitoria. There were seventy-six entrances to the structure, which allowed all the spectators to move freely within the building and allowed them to leave easily. It was designed so that the entire crowd could get out in five minutes or less.
Grandeur of the Colosseum
There were nets alongside the arena to protect the audience from the animals and the gladiators.
There also appear to be several references to the use of artificial lighting to illuminate the Colosseum during the regular games that preceded the Saturnalia in December during the Domitian’s reign.
The popularity and splendour of the Colosseum was celebrated my millions. Its prominence even made it a quite popular thing to put on coins. Roman coins
Conclusion.
It is evident that the games played a very important part in the lives and culture of the Romans. Many went to the games as it was their main form of entertainment, others sat back in disgust. Philosophers such as Pliny, and senators such as Seneca complained about the games:
“One day I went to the midday games, hoping to enjoy light entertainment, rather than bloodshed. It was the exact opposite, the other shows I had seen were a picnic in comparison. This was pure murder. When one man fell another would immediately take his place. And this went on and on till none are left, even the last was killed. You may say “but that one committed a robbery.” So what? Does he deserve to be crucified? “He committed murder.” Even so, does he deserve to die like this? What sort of punishment do you deserve for watching him?”
Only a few thoughtful people held these views. Others held differing views of the games and went for a variety of reasons. For example, the poet Ovid.
“But you should go hunting, especially in rounded theatres; these places are more fertile than you could wish for...they come to watch, they come to be watched themselves. That place involves the loss of ones sense of shame and chastity.”
In this poem, “A good place to find a girl”, Ovid is referring to the games in the amphitheatres. It is Ovid’s opinion that the games are a good way to socialise and meet somebody of the opposite sex. He also mentions in his poem, the many types of people you can meet at the games, assuming that these people would be there for the same reason as he is. He says that you may find someone to love, someone to string along, someone you can touch once, and someone you may wish to hold onto.
There are many factors contributing to the reasons why people attended the games, and why they were so appealing.
The main reason, it would seem, is that the people enjoyed watching both animals and humans being massacred. Even though there is much evidence to suggest this, it is not easy to understand that people would actually enjoy watching other human beings being ripped to shreds. This is what the philosophers such as Pliny and the senators also found hard to grasp. However, one would be foolish to assume that this is the only reason why people attended the games and why they were so appealing.
Another reason would be that the emperors used the games as a tool to win favour with the masses, as they had lost their chance to vote, and after other terrible events:
“Titus also distributed gifts to the people during the games; a special machine threw down wooden balls calved with the names of various commodities (food, clothing, slaves, silver vessels) which the lucky recipients could then collect from his attendants. The whole affair was a public relations exercise, designed to cheer up the people of Rome after the disastrous fire earlier that year.”
It is also evident from myths and legends, that the Romans were fond of heroes and champions of sport, they enjoyed having somebody to shout for, while empathising with the winners, and losers of the games. The games were the biggest spectacle of the Roman times, and as the empire was growing stronger, it is evident that the spectators enjoyed watching the skills of the fighters, as they themselves were not part of the front line in battles. One must also consider that even though the Romans had a sophisticated lifestyle, barbarous acts were committed to their enemies, and within their empire, for example, public crucifixions took place. This may be why the Romans had such an appetite for violence at the games. This was just typical of those times, just as football hooligans are typical of today.
