CIRCUS

A straight long narrow building, whose to its breadth was generally as five to one. It was down the centre by an ornamented barrier called spina, and was used by the Romans for the exhibition public spectacles and chariot races. There were several of these at Rome, of which the most celebrated was Circus Maximus. Julius Ca ar improved and altered the Circus Maximns; that it might serve for the purpose of a naumachia, it with water. August us added to it the celebrated obelisk now standing in the Piazza del Popolo. No of this circus remain. Besides these were at the Circi of Flam in i us, near the Pantheon; Agon a occupying the site of what is now the Piazza Navona: Nero, on a portion whereof St. Peter's stands; Florus, and Aurelian, no longer even in ruins; and of Car a call a, which was 738 feet in length, and is sufficiently perfect in the present day to exhibit its plan and in the most satisfactory manner. The spectacles exhibited in the circus were called the Games, and consisted chiefly of chariot and races. The Romans were pa ionately fond of them, more particularly of the chariot races, which excited great an interest in the times of the emperors as to divide the whole population of the city into factions, known the names of the colours worn by the different charioteers. The disputes of these factions sometimes led to disturbances, and even bloodshed. Cl' [s. 251]