Campus Martius

, a large plain at Rome, without the walls of the city, where the Roman youths performed their exercises, and learnt to wrestle and box, to throw the discus, hurl the javelin, ride a horse, drive a chariot, . The public a emblies were held there, and the officers of state chosen, and audience given to foreign amba adors. It was adorned with statues, columns, arches, and porticoes, and its pleasant situation made it very frequented. It was called Martius because dedicated to Mars. It was sometimes called Tiberinus, from its closene to the Tiber. It was given to the Roman people by a vestal virgin; but they were deprived of it by Tarquin the Proud, who made it a private field, and sowed corn in it. When Tarquin was driven from Rome the people recovered it, and threw away into the Tiber the corn which had grown there, deeming it unlawful for any man to eat of the produce of that land. The sheaves which were thrown into the river stopped in a shallow ford, and by the accumulated collection of mud became firm ground, and formed an island, which was called the Holy Island, or the island of Æsculapius. Dead carcases were generally burnt in the Campus Martius. Strabo , bk. 5 .— Livy , bk. 2 , ch. 5 ; bk. 6 , ch. 20 .