Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

2816 CIRCUS. CIRCUS.
7sltrciae7, from the altar of Venus Murtia, or included in the measurements given by Dionysius
]Murcia, placed there. (Compare Apuleius, Mect. vi. (iii. p. 192), and thus exactly accounts for the
p. 395, ed. Oudendorp; Tertull. de Spectac. 8; variation in his computation.
iiUller, ad Varron. L. a.) The term arena belongs When the Circus Maximus was permanently
to an amphitheatre; and it is therefore probable formed by Tarquinius Priscus, each of the thirty
that it was applied in the circus to the large open curiae had a particular place assigned to it (Dionys.
space between the carceres and prinzc seeta, when iii. p. 1 92); but as the pieheians had no right to a
the circus was used for the exhibition of athletic seat in this circus, the Circus Flarminius was aftergames, for which the locality seems best adapted; wards built for their games. (Comp. Niebuhr, Hist.
but in Silius Italicus (xvi. 415) it is put for the part ofRome,vol. i. p. 362, vol. ii. p. 360.) Of course, in
down the spina. When the circus was used for the latter days of the republic, when the distinction
racing, the course was termed sp]atiuZs, (Juv. Sat. between patricians and plebeians had practically
vi. 582) or spatia, because the match included more ceased to exist, the plebeians sat in the Circus
than one circuit. (Virg. Aen. v. 316, 325, 327, Maximus. (Suet. Aug. 44.) The seats were then
Geory. i. 513; Stat. Thleb. vi. 594; Hor. Epist. i. marked off at intervals by a line or groove drawn
14. 9; compare Sil. Ital. xvi. 336.) It is also called across them (linea), so that the space included becaitulus (Sil. xvi. 391), and poetically aequor (Id. tween two lines afforded sitting room for a certain
414). number of spectators. Hence the allusion of Ovid
At the entrance of the course, exactly in the (Amor. iii. 2. 19): -
direction of the line (J, K), were two small pe- Quid[ frustra refugis? cogit nos lineac jungi.
destals (hersmuli) on each side of the podium, to (Compare Ovid. Art. Azsat. i. 141.) As the seats
which was attached a chalked rope (alba linea, were hard and high, the women made use of a
Cassiodor. 1. c.), for the purpose of making the cushion (pulvinus), and a footstool (scanezum, secstart fair, precisely as is practised at Rome for the bellusn, Ovid. A-rt. Anzat. i. 160, 162), for which
horse-races during Carneval. Thus, when the purpose the railing which ran along the upper edge
doors of the carceres were thrown open, if any of of each praecinctio was used by those who sat imthc horses rushed out before the others, they were mediately above it. (Ovid. Amoer. iii. 2. 64.) But
brought up by this rope until the whole were fairly under the emperors, when it became necessary to
abreast, when it was loosened from one side, and give an adventitious rank to the upper classes by
all poured into the course at once. In the Lyons privileges and distinctions, Augustus first, then
mosaic the alba linea is distinctly traced at the Claudius, and finally Nero and Domitian, separated
spot just mentioned, and one of the chariots is the senators and equites from the common people.
observed to be upset at the very place, whilst the (Suet. Asug. 44, Claud. 21, Nero, 11, Domlit. 8.)
others pursue their course. The writer has often The seat of the emperor —pulvinar (Suet. Aug. 44,
seen the same accident happen at Rome, when an Claudz. 4), cusbicslums (Id. Nero, 12), was most
over-eager horse rushes against the rope and gets likely in the same situation in the Circus Maximus,
thrown down. This line, for an obvious reason as ill the one above described. It was generally
(Plin. II. N. xxxv. 58), was also called ealv, and upon the podissn, unless when he presided himself,
cretac (Cic. de An. 27; Senec. Epist. 108), from which was not always the case (Suet. Nero, 1. c.)
whence comes the allusion of Persius (Sat. v. 177), but then he occupied the elevated tribunal of the
clretat ambitio. The mretae served only to regulate president (suggestus), over the porte pol,?1pce. The
the turnings of the course, the alba linea amlswered consuls and other dignitaries sat above the carceres
to the starting and winning post of modern days- (Sidon. Cason. xxiii. 317), indications of which
r"peracto legitimo cursu ad cretamz stetere." (Plin. seats are seen in the woodcut on page 285, a.
Iri. N. viii. 65; and compare xxxv. 58.) Hence The rest of the opp)9icsdu was probably occupied by
the metaphor of Cicero (Senect. 23), " quasi decurso the musicians and persons who formed part of the
spatio ad carceres a calce revocari;"' and of Horace sonmpa.
(Epist. i. 16. 79), "mors ultisma linese rerum." The exterior of the Circius Maximus was sur(Comp. Lucret. vi. 92.) rounded by a portico one story high, above which
From this description the Circus Maximus dif- were shops for those who sold refreshments.
fered little, except in size and magnificence of em- (Dionys. iii. p. 192.) Within the portico were
bellishment. But as it was used for hunting wild ranges of dark vaults, which supported the seats
beasts, Julius Caesar drew a canal called Euripus, of the caved. These were let out to women of the
tell feet wide, around the bottom of the podiunz, to town. (Juv. Sat. iii. 65; Lamprid. HIelioyab. 26.)
protect the spectators who sat there (Dionys. iii. The Circensian games (Ludi Circenses) were first
p. 1922; Suet. Juil. 39), which was removed by instituted by Romulus, according to the legends,
Nero (Plin. II. V. viii. 7), but subsequently re- when he wished to attract the Sabine population to
stored by other princes. (Lamprid. lHeliogb. 23.) Roume, for the purpose of furnishing his own people
It possessed also another variety in three open with wives (Val. Max. ii. 4. ~ 3), and were celegalleries, or balconies, at the circular end, called brated in honour of the god Consus, or Neptunus
sne2niana or naeniaana. (Suet. Cal. 18.) The num- Ecquestris, from whom they were styled Consuales.
bers which the Circus Maximus was capable of (Liv. i. 9.) But after the construction of the
containing, are computed at 150,000 by Dionysius Circus Maximus, they were called indiscriminately
(iii. p. 192), 260,000 by Pliny (. AN. xxxvi. 24. Ciircenses (Servius, ad Virg. Geors. iii. 18), tRonzani,
~ 1), and 385,000 by P. Victor (Regio xi.), all of or JHcagni. (Liv. i. 35.) They embraced six kinds
which are probably correct, but have reference to of games: -- I. Cuasus; II. LUDus TROJAE;
different periods of its history. Its very great ex- III. PUvNA EQUESTRIS; IV. CERTTAMEN GYIvtent is indicated by Juvenal (Sat. xi. 195). Its NICUM; V. VENATIOC; VI. NAUMACmEIe. The
length, in the time of Julius Caesar, was three two last were not peculiar to the circus, but were
stadia, the width one, and the depth of the build- exhibited also in the amphitheatre, or in buildings
ings occupied half a stadium (Plin. 1. c.), which is appropriated for theu.