Description of the circus in ancient Rome. Great circus in rome - the most extensive ancient hippodrome in italy
In the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills, later known as the "Great Circus" (lat. Circus Maximus). Tarquinius the Proud somewhat changed the location of this structure and increased the number of seats for spectators in it, Julius Caesar significantly expanded it, and Nero, after the famous fire that devastated Rome, built Great Circus again with more luxury than before; Trajan and Domitian improved it even more, and even Constantine and his son, Constantius, took care of its decoration. The last races in it took place in 549. Thus, it lasted for six centuries, and its history is closely connected with the history of Rome and the Roman Empire. In its location, it resembled the ancient Greek hippodromes. The arena of the Circus after its reconstruction by Julius Caesar had a length of 640 m and a width of 130 m. On three sides, one short and semicircular and two lateral, long, it was surrounded by numerous tiers of seats resting on vaults, arranged one above the other (lat. moeniana), above which towered pavilions and galleries with columns. The lower tier, which lay directly above the rather high plinth of the structure (lat. podium), was nominated for senators; right there in the time of the emperors was their tribune (lat. pulvinar). The following tier could only be occupied by horsemen, and the remaining tiers were provided for people of other classes. From the outside, this entire part of the building was represented by arcades and colonnades, from under which one could make one's way through many stairs to the places for spectators. The huge building was without a roof, but the canvas stretched over them could protect the audience from the sun.
Following the model of the oldest Roman circus, the "Great Circus", others were built, both in Rome itself and in its provinces, in which, at the end of the existence of the empire, there was not a single significant city that could do without a building of this kind. In Rome, in addition to the "Great Circus", there were three more: built in 220 BC. e. to the west of the Capitol, the Circus Flaminius, in which Augustus once gave the people a performance of crocodile hunting, in the midst of an arena filled with water; The Circus of Nero (also called the Circus of Caligula and the Vatican), begun by construction under Caligula, completed by Nero and known in history, mainly as a place of cruel torment to which Christians were subjected to the second of the named emperors; Circus of Caracalla, built, however, not under him, but a century later under Romulus, son of Maxentius, and important for archaeologists in that its significant ruins, spread out behind the former Capena Gate (behind the current Porta San Sebastiano), make it possible to study the structure of Roman circuses . But the remains of a circus in the area of the ancient Boville, a small town at the foot of the Alban Mountains, on the Appian Way, can serve this purpose even better. This circus is not large, but is a typical example of Roman circuses and is relatively well preserved.
Chronology
Games
Horse racing in the Roman circus. Painting by Kuhn, 1913
The almost complete destruction of the church is explained both by the fact that the square seats were an excellent material for buildings, and by the fact that only a smaller part of the church was made of stone. Nevertheless, even in this state of destruction, we can get an idea of the plan of the circus and its interior decoration - the first both on the basis of excavations, and, especially, on the basis of the famous Severov plan of Rome, from which a piece depicting the southern part has been preserved. C. Based on this fragment and the dimensions of the valley, it is possible to calculate approximately the dimensions of C. The length of the building is 635 m, width. 150 m, length of the arena 590 m, width. 80 m. Guided by these dimensions, one can check the authors' indications of the capacity of the C.: it is very possible that under Augustus the number of places reached approx. 150,000, and by the time of Constantine increased by approx. to 200,000. The interior decoration of C. can be judged on the basis of a number of Roman monuments (reliefs, coins, mosaics), and especially on the basis of a mosaic depicting circus dances found in Barcelona. The details of the image are almost similar to those on Roman monuments. The spina depicts here, besides counting devices and an obelisk, a series of sanctuaries, columns with statues of Victoria, a statue of the Great Mother of the Gods (mounted on a lion), military banners, and a number of athletes and animals - perhaps statues symbolizing those games that were given in the C. except for the dances. On other monuments we see, in addition, the sanctuary three gods, altar, trophies with captives (cf. related people on the Barcelona mosaic), etc. The main spectacle that gathered people in C. was chariot races (in addition to them, races, fights of athletes, fights of animals, and exercises on riding horses are mentioned). These races were originally integral part religious and political celebrations that accompanied the return of the army from the campaign, which affects, in the form of a relic, the pompa that introduced the chariot competitions. This pompa had the character of a triumph, with a religious lining. She solemnly walked from the Capitol through the forum and the cattle market and entered the southern gate of Ts. At the head walked or rode (if it was a praetor or consul) a magistrate who gave games, in triumphal clothes (a toga embroidered with gold and a tunic, decorated with palm trees embroidered on it ), holding in his hand a scepterdecorated with an eagle; behind him stood or walked a public servant crowning him with a golden oak crown. Music blared ahead, and the magistrate was surrounded by his children, friends, and clients. Behind him were carried and carried the statues of the gods, later - and the deified emperors, starting with Julius Caesar. After this introductory act, very long and very pedantic, the games began. At the same time, the gates were opened and usually 4, sometimes more (6, 8, 12, depending on the number of parties and chariots of each party) chariots, in pairs or more often four, flew into the arena. The run started to the right of the meta and ended at the place on the opposite side, marked with a white line, after running around the spina seven times. The number of races was not always the same: it started with 10 or 12, but the further, the more their number increased, and in imperial time it reached 24 or even 36, which filled the whole day from morning to evening. Each race lasted no more than a quarter of an hour. During the race, the drivers used all sorts of means to win the first prize - means that led to the development of a special technical racing jargon in which inscriptions were written in honor or memory of the drivers. Of particular danger was the rounding of the met, to which everyone tried to stay close; everything depended on the endurance and dexterity of the leftmost horse. Accidents were quite common; a light two-wheeler, open at the back, could easily be broken with the strength and speed of four horses; almost all images of the races show one broken chariot in a certain scheme of four competing chariots. The prize consisted of a wreath and a certain sum of money; second and third prizes were given.
Circus parties
The supply of horses and drivers originally came from the state and was farmed out by the magistrates. The further, the larger the surcharges of the magistrates became, while the supply business was organized into two large enterprises, perhaps subsidized by the government. These enterprises maintained stables, horses, driver staff, schools for drivers, horse riding, etc. The technical name of these enterprises was factio; the chief manager was named dommus factionis. The factiones differed from each other in colors. Two companies of the republican time dressed their riders one in white, the other in red, and therefore bore the name: one - russata, the other - albata. In the imperial time, probably, these two were joined by blue and green (lat. factiones veneta And prasina); temporarily under Domitian there were also gold and purple (lat. purpureus pannus And auratus pannus). Of these parties, only the blue and green ones played a prominent role in imperial times; all the interest of visitors to C was concentrated around them. Interest in horses, in drivers, excitement of bets - all this, inflated by participation higher strata society up to the emperor, led to the fact that the interests of C. were the most pressing and vital interests of Rome. Interest was concentrated on the permanent bearers of this or that advantage - companies, suppliers of horses and drivers - and inflated by the companies themselves; the spectator got used to assimilate the interests of the company, and thus, a passionate participation in the fate of not the horse or the driver, but the party, turned out. Passion reached to fights and battles; powerful people one party tried to damage another; the emperors themselves spent a lot of time in the stables of their favorite party and supported it with the power of their power to the detriment of the other. With the decline of culture, passion reaches its climax at the Hippodrome of Constantinople. The addiction to the parties supported the interest in the bearers of the glory of the party - drivers and horses, especially drivers, for victory depended most on their dexterity.
Roman circus professionals
Specialization ousted amateurs from the center; hand in hand with it was the development of the concept of its inappropriateness, as a craft, for the Roman aristocracy. From time immemorial, young men of noble families drove chariots to the circus; while they were still pueri, they also showed the highest school of riding in a number of complex military evolutions, taking part in the so-called. Lusus Troiae. IN recent centuries Republic, all this went out of fashion, Caesar and Augustus, in their desire to fight the effeminacy of society and caste prejudices, had to forcefully reintroduce the old customs. They forced noble youth to race chariots, perform both in childhood and adolescence in a number of military exercises in front of the public ( ludi sevirales: participants are riders who have just put on toga virilis; Lusus Traiae: participants are children of the best senatorial families). The educational goals of Caesar and Augustus were replaced by the passion of Ts. Caligula and Nero: not the exercise of physical strength and the fight against prejudices, but sport in itself, the love of success, prominent and noisy in this area, led especially by Nero and his later imitators. The glory of the charioteers, their popularity kept emperors like Nero awake. But no matter how the passion for racing grew in society, circus coachmen from society were still an exception: professionals gave the tone in the C.. The development of technology and skillful training, in connection with special abilities, produced skilled craftsmen who won several thousand times and made enormous fortunes from prizes and special payments from the party and employers. Their names thundered everywhere; everyone knew Scorpus or Diocletus, and a number of inscriptions tell us in detail about their circus careers. Teamsters began their careers very young, which was largely due to the requirement of possible lightness from them. Most ended their lives early violent death; only a few, having made a fortune for themselves, retired to rest. The very costume of the drivers indicated the danger of their profession: they were wrapped with belts over their tunic, they wore a smooth leather hat on their heads, their legs up to the sandals were also wrapped in belts, all this in order to protect the body from blows if possible and not to have such a thing on the whole body. clothes that could catch on something, on which you could hang. The reins were tied to the waist of the charioteer, so that one could rule with one hand and hold the whip in the other; a curved knife hung from the belt, for cutting the reins in case of a fall. The drivers were very superstitious. Amulets covered entirely the harness of horses, they were worn on the body by the drivers themselves. In the tombs of Carthage and the Appian Way, many lead letters were found to the underground gods - letters that the dead man was supposed to deliver to their destination: the drivers charged each other with attention here underground gods, inviting them to send all sorts of circus misfortunes to the enemy.
Horses
Horses were also of great interest. Everyone knew the famous left-wingers (Lat. funales), who won hundreds of times. Spain, Africa, Italy, Greece, Cappadocia competed with the height of blood and racing qualities of their horse factories. The consumption and demand for horses was enormous; horse factories, obviously, gave large breeders good income. Particularly large enterprises of this kind have created the wonderful pastures of Africa; many mosaics have been preserved that testify to the love for horses, interest in them and the prevalence of horse breeding in this Roman province. Each horse had its own name and its own genealogy; hundreds of names have been handed down to us by various monuments, from mosaics to lead tessers. The winning horses celebrated real triumphs on their way to their stables.
social impact
These were the elements that made up circus life. Rome and the provinces lived this life with equal passion. Antioch or Lyon were not inferior in this respect to Carthage and Corinth. They might not know in Rome how the war with the Germans or the Parthians ended, but everyone knew who won on the last circus day - blue or green.
The most extensive hippodrome. It was located in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills. 12 chariots could simultaneously take part in competitions at the hippodrome.
According to legend, this is where the abduction of the Sabine women took place. (The abduction of the Sabine women or the Sabine war is an episode related to the legendary period of Roman history), as well as the abduction of Hercules' cattle.
Creation
It is believed that chariot races were first held here by the king Tarquinius Priscus (c. 500 BC). The valley between the Palatine and the Aventine, 600 meters long and about 150 meters wide, since ancient times, due to its position near the most ancient part of the city and an extremely convenient terrain, served as a place for equestrian races associated with the ancient games of Rome (the so-called lat. ludi Romani ). Until 329 BC e. racing devices were not mentioned in this place; apparently, apart from the arena and temporary seats for honorary spectators, there were no buildings on the site of the circus. It is very possible that the valley was cultivated and yielded crops, as shown by the oldest sanctuaries of rural gods - (the altar of Kons, the sanctuary of the triad Seia, Segetia, Tutilina), which survived after the formation of the circus.
It is very likely that the games were given only after the end of the harvest (in 366 BC the ludi Romani were fixed for September). Only in 329 was the start built - lat. carceres - made of wood with a variegated color. There was no permanent spina, the stakes were wooden. Mentions about the setting up of statues, about the construction of gates, about the renewal of carceres and met, about setting up an apparatus with eggs for counting tours (lat. missus), about acquiring cages for animals, etc. appear after the Punic wars. Under Caesar, the circus area was expanded and a canal (Latin euripus) was dug around the arena.
In those days, the chariot competitions took place in a straight line - having reached the end of the arena, the chariots turned around and raced in the opposite direction. Later, with the development of the sewerage system of Rome, a large tunnel (approximately 4.5 meters high and 2.5 meters wide) was laid under the arena, as a result of which, over time, a "ridge" formed in the arena. The leveling of the ground in the arena before each competition cost a lot of labor, and therefore the competition could no longer be held according to the old scheme. The rules of the competition were changed, and the chariots began to ride not in a straight line, but in a circle, bending around the "ridge" of the arena. New way equestrian competitions quickly took root, and since then horse races have been held at ring hippodromes.
Description of the great Roman circus
Julius Caesar expanded big circus up to 600 meters in length, so that it could accommodate 250 thousand viewers(the same number of people could watch the competitions standing). In the middle of the short and semicircular side of the described fence of the arena there was a gate through which the winners at the races (Latin porta triumphalis) left the Circus. At the opposite end of the arena stood three towers (lat. oppida); in the middle, a gate was also made, which served for the entry of chariots into the Circus (Latin porta pompae); between it and the side towers, on the right and left, a row of stalls (lat. carceres) for chariots and horses was arranged along the arc of a circle. In the middle of the arena stretched a long and narrow platform (lat. spina) with semicircles at both ends and cone-shaped pillars standing on them (lat. metae). This platform was decorated first with one and then with two obelisks; both of them survived and survived to this day; the first, taken out of Egypt and erected by Augustus, now stands on the Piazza del Popolo; the second, even larger one, erected by Constantine the Great, was moved in 1588 to the square in front of the Lateran Palace. In addition to the obelisks, on the platform in two places were placed on small pedestals (no doubt in honor of the patron of the stadiums Neptune Eqnestris) seven statues of dolphins, spewing water into small pools, and separately from these figures, on special stands, seven balls (lat. .ova).
Decline and destruction
As early as the 6th century, Theodoric supported the circus; the last games were given by Totila in 549. The most massive circus structure - the Arch of Titus - stood until the 12th century, but already in the 16th century. there was nothing more left of the circus than there was left to the 19th century, when the circus valley was built up with gas factory buildings. In the Middle Ages, stone structures of the circus were dismantled for construction. new buildings. Nevertheless, the territory of the circus has never been completely built up, and still are held here. social events(e.g. rock concerts).
Circus. This word, meaning for us cheerful and colorful sights, dates back to the days of Ancient Rome. However, neither in terms of the architecture of the buildings, nor even more so in the nature of their spectacles, called public games, the Roman circus was not like the circus of our days.
What were the circus and public games among the ancient Romans?
In Rome, largest city ancient times, there were seven circuses. All of them were arranged in almost the same way, but the most extensive and oldest of them was the so-called Big Circus. This circus was in a valley formed by two hills, the Palatine and the Aventine.
From ancient times until the fall of the empire, here in the valley, most of the games, consisting of horse races in chariots, were held annually. According to legend, such races were established by one of the founders of Rome, Romulus, and they were held at first once a year - after the harvest of bread and the collection of fruits. In those days, spectators were located right on the grass that covered the slopes of the hills.
Later, around 600 BC, the first wooden circus was built in this valley. Over the centuries, it expanded more and more, decorated with marble, bronze, and by the beginning of our era took shape in a grandiose hippodrome, designed for 150 thousand spectators.
According to its structure, the Great Circus was primarily a rectangular arena in terms of over 500 meters long and 80 meters wide. Rising rows of seats for the public were located along its entire length on both sides. The nobles settled on the marble seats, and the poor were crowded on the upper wooden benches. By the way, the extreme accumulation of people in the "gallery" led more than once to fires and landslides, accompanied by a large number victims (for example, during the twenty-year reign of Emperor Diocletian, about 13 thousand people died because of this).
A curious feature circus arena there was a back - wide (6 meters) and low (1.5 meters) stone wall, which, like a ridge, divided the arena into two halves. Thus, the back prevented the arbitrary transition of the competing horses from one part of the arena to another. The wall was decorated with monuments - obelisks, statues and small temples of the Roman gods. There was also a witty device, thanks to which the audience always knew how many races the chariots had already made. Let's talk a little more about this device.
On the surface of the back, near each end of it, a four-column structure was built. On flat roof one of them rested seven gilded metal eggs, and the other - the same number of gilded dolphins. Every time the front chariot completed the next race (and there were usually seven of them), one egg and one dolphin were removed. Such "counting units" were associated, according to the concepts of the Romans, with the deities who patronized the circus - Neptune and the Dioscuri brothers.
Equestrian competitions in general were dedicated to the first, since it was believed that the formidable god of the seas owned the best horses that swiftly carried him along the water surface; in addition, dolphins, which were considered the personification of the deity himself, were directly related to Neptune. As for the Dioscuri, according to legend, both of them were born from a swan egg, and one of the brothers, Castor, later became famous as a brave tamer of wild horses, and the other, Pollux, as a brave fist fighter.
The extremities of the back were semicircular turntables. It was here that every driver needed the most dexterity and endurance: when approaching the metas, it was necessary to slow down the speed just enough so as not to rush past the pillars, not to catch on to them and not tip over during a sharp turn, and in the event of a fall - not to be trampled by the horses of rivals (the latter happened quite often). Of course, at each meta it was possible to describe a large arc, but this safety, booed by the audience, had to be paid for by the loss of a few seconds, using which a more courageous and dexterous opponent pulled ahead. So that the drivers already from afar had in mind the dangerous goal to which they were heading, each meta was decorated with three tall gilded columns of conical shapes.
Let us try to imagine (at least in the most in general terms) one of the competitions in the circus.
Immediately after the pomp (a solemn procession through the circus of priests and organizers of the games), the manager of the race threw a white handkerchief onto the arena sprinkled with sand: thereby giving a sign to the beginning of the games. To the loud sounds of trumpets and the encouraging cries of the public, from the punishment cells (the so-called marble circus stables) flew headlong four light two-wheeled chariots drawn by four horses. One run... Third... Seventh! The winner on lathered horses swept through triumphal arch, erected at the end of the arena, and then slowly headed towards the box of the organizers of the games, where he received awards. All this time, the spectators were in complete control of their emotions: they clapped their hands furiously, shouted with all their might, threatened, grimace, cursed (especially in those cases when the drivers overturned on the turns). And so for a whole day of games, from sunrise to sunset, when the number of competitions sometimes reached thirty!
This “care” of the government for its citizens is best explained by the words of Emperor Aurelian: “Indulge in fun, engage in spectacles. Let us be concerned with social needs, let you be interested in entertainment!” Public games and the treats that accompanied them were a kind of spectacular politics, designed to acquire popular favor (which was extremely important in the conditions of the most severe exploitation of slaves and frequent civil wars).
The famous satirist of antiquity, Juvenal, aptly called the domestic policy of the Roman authorities the policy of "bread and circuses." The personification of this policy was the circuses, and with them the amphitheaters that arose on the basis of other spectacles and, above all, the Colosseum.
Tourists coming to Rome from different countries, and are still admired by the ruins of the Colosseum, which was once a huge amphitheater - with a circumference of more than 500 meters and a capacity of about 50 thousand people.
Although the name Colosseum is now generally accepted, it has almost nothing to do with the amphitheater: it comes from the Latin word “colosseum” (colossus) distorted in the Middle Ages, which the ancient Romans called the grandiose statue of Emperor Nero, erected near the amphitheater . The Colosseum itself was called in ancient times the Flavian Amphitheater - after the family name of the emperors Vespasian, Titus and Domitian, under whom this monumental spectacular building was created.
In its structure, the Colosseum to some extent resembled the current circuses. His huge arena was surrounded by five tiers of spectator seats (moreover, the marble seats were intended - as in circuses-hippodromes - for the rich, and the wooden benches of the "gallery" - for the common people). The Colosseum did not have a roof, but to protect the public from rain and scorching heat, a linen awning was stretched over the building, which was fixed on special brackets in the outer wall. The facade of the Colosseum attracted everyone's attention with its extraordinary splendor: in the niches of the second and third floors, which now gape with emptiness, there used to be numerous white marble statues...
It is interesting to note that in the Roman circus, not only winners-charioteers, but also winners-horses received awards. People received money and expensive clothes, and palm branches and wreaths (which were also awards) were received by both people and horses. Drivers and horses that distinguished themselves many times were erected statues in the city, and after death - magnificent tombstones with praising inscriptions and a detailed listing of the victories won.
Of course, circus horses were the best breeds. Without regard to any costs, horses were delivered to Rome from Spain and from North Africa, and in Sicily, almost all fertile grain fields were turned into pastures. The fact, which seemed simply unbelievable, was that the favorite horse of the emperor Caligula, Incitat, ate and drank from gold and silver dishes, and on the eve of the competitions where he participated, the soldiers watched so that not the slightest noise in the neighborhood disturbed the peace horses!
The holding of the games was concentrated in the hands of special societies, consisting of the Roman rich. Not without benefit for themselves, they supplied the organizers of the games with horses, chariots, and also drivers (since the latter were, as a rule, former slaves and were connected with their former owners by various monetary relations). The competition between these societies turned them into separate four parties (according to the number of teams participating in each competition at the same time), which were named White, Red, Green and Blue (according to the color of the clothes of each of the four drivers). Since the spectators in the circus were constantly gambling about the victories of the charioteers and horses, and the victors themselves were the subject of the most zealous conversations throughout Rome, the entire city population was divided into four warring camps - adherents of one party or another. This state of affairs led to the fact that circus parties eventually became political parties that actively intervened in state affairs.
The arrangement and holding of games demanded enormous expenses. Sixty-four days a year were set aside for chariot races, and the vast masses of people who flocked to these races from all over Italy had to be not only entertained free of charge, but also fed free of charge. Therefore, in the arenas of circuses, in between competitions, attendants laid hundreds of tables, on which whole roasted bulls, pigs, goats were beautiful, and various wines alternated with oranges, pomegranates, ginger. First of all, the nobility were saturated with all these dishes, and then a sign was given to the “gallery”, which rushed down like an avalanche and snatched up the remnants in a stampede and a fight ...
Photo by circus performer L. Osinsky.
The fights of the gladiators (and the name of the latter in Latin means approximately sword-bearers) came out of those commemorations that were arranged by the Etruscans - the oldest inhabitants of Italy. The latter forced slaves or prisoners to fight on the graves of their loved ones, whose souls seemed to rejoice at the picture of the battle. Later, from 105 BC. e. and up to 404 AD. e. (for 500 years!) Gladiator fights were public spectacles that reached extraordinary proportions under the Roman emperors (for example, Augustus staged gladiator fights eight times, and 10 thousand people participated in them).
One of the gladiatorial fights beloved by the audience was the so-called fishing - a fight between a myrmillo and a retiarius. The first of them, armed with a sword and with a shield, wore an image of a fish on his helmet (hence the name of the gladiator - myrmillon); the second used a sharply sharpened trident as a weapon and was equipped with a metal net (retiarius in translation from Latin means wearing a net). The purpose of the "game" was that the retiarius had to entangle the enemy with a net, knock him to the ground and, if the audience wished, finish off the "fish" with a trident; the task of the mirmillon was to escape unscathed from the “fisherman” and at the first convenient moment to hit him with a sword ...
The armor of the gladiators, beautiful in appearance, left large areas of the body unprotected: the fighters were obliged to entertain the audience with their wounds, blood, and finally death, which increased the public's interest in the fight. The struggle itself had to be conducted with skill, boldly and excitingly: this gave the fighters some opportunity to save their lives even in the event of a defeat. When a wounded gladiator raised his hand with outstretched index finger, this meant that he asked the public for pardon. In response, the spectators waved their handkerchiefs or also raised their fingers, thereby “letting go” of the brave fighter, who had lost the ability to fight; if the audience put their fingers down, this meant that the loser during the “game” showed an excessive love for life and that the winner was ordered to strike the last one, death blow. After that, the servants burned the fallen man with a red-hot iron and, having thus made sure of his death, dragged him through the “gate of the dead” with hooks ...
It goes without saying that the gladiators were well trained in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. They were taught this in gladiatorial schools-barracks (both private and imperial), where cruel cane discipline reigned - up to beating to death.
Who were these unfortunates, doomed to such suffering?
First of all, the gladiators were prisoners of war (“barbarians”, as the Romans contemptuously called them), who, having been captured, became slaves. Not all of them put up with their fate: there were cases that in schools gladiators died, strangling each other with their hands. But there were other cases - people tried to win their freedom in armed uprisings (as, for example, the largest uprising of the famous Spartacus, who was also a gladiator).
Free people, the poor, also entered the gladiatorial schools. Here they were provided with shelter and food, and, in addition, there was hope of enriching themselves, since the winner received a bowl with gold coins from the organizers of the games. However, the position of such “free” gladiators was not much different from the position of slaves: when entering the school, the newcomer swore an oath that he would not spare his life in the arena, that he allowed himself to be flogged for committed offenses, burn with a red-hot iron and even kill!
The fate of the gladiators was hard, but even worse was the case for the bestiaries (hunters), who fought with wild animals - boars, bears, panthers, lions. In Rome, there was a special school for them, but most often convicts acted as bestiaries. They were released into the arena almost unarmed - with a short sword or a light spear. It happened that the dexterity of a person prevailed over the dexterity of an animal, but more often mutilated people, as if for mercy, begged for a speedy death, and under the howl of an audience intoxicated with blood, they were finished off ...
In addition to such "spectacles", animal persecution was organized in the Colosseum. With the help of special mechanisms from the cellars of the amphitheater, decorative mountains and forests along with all kinds of animals were raised to the arena. By slapping whips and shooting lit arrows into their muzzles, the attendants enraged the animals. The rhinoceros was forced to fight with the elephant, the panther with the bull, the bear with the boar. Often they were tied in pairs with lassoes, and the audience became furiously delighted when the animals began to torment each other. Only during the games at the opening of the Colosseum, about 5 thousand animals were hunted in this way!
Where did they get such fabulous numbers of animals from?
Each country conquered by the Roman legions sent its rarest animals to Italy. Entire caravans of them in cages followed to Rome along the roads of the empire (moreover, cities and villages,
by which these caravans passed, they were obliged to supply the animals with food). In Rome, the animals were housed in a vivarium (menagerie), which was larger than any of the current zoos; under Emperor Gordian III, for example, there were 32 elephants, 60 lions, 30 leopards, 10 tigers, the same number of giraffes, elks and hyenas, a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, 40 wild horses and many other very different small animals. And it was all meant to be destroyed!
Fights of gladiators and bestiaries, as well as animal persecution, arose much later than chariot competitions, but they received no less recognition. From Rome, they spread to almost all major cities of the provinces (Pompeii, Capua, Verona, Arles, Nimes), where dilapidated amphitheatres have survived to this day (of course, not as grandiose as the Colosseum ). Such a widespread fascination with the spectacles of mass, deliberate and mocking murders (otherwise it is difficult to call all these “games” in the arenas of amphitheatres) is explained by the coarsening and depravity of morals, which was caused by numerous wars of conquest roman-liang.
With a general admiration for bloody spectacles, only two public figures Rima expressed their indignation. One of them, the famous orator Cicero, said that there can be no pleasure "when a weak man is torn to pieces by a huge strong beast, or when a beautiful animal is pierced by a hunting spear." Cicero was echoed by the philosopher Seneca, who angrily pointed out that "man is sacred to man, and he is killed for fun and amusement." But with all this, both of them - both Cicero and Seneca - believed that the warlike spirit should be an integral part of the Roman people ...
In conclusion, it remains to say a few words about those spectacles that have not received any significant distribution. So, in the same Colosseum, trained animals were shown: lions caught hares and released them unharmed, elephants danced and, according to Roman custom, near-stinged at tables with food; in the Great Circus, competitions of gymnasts, launches, fistfights, discus throwing were held. These spectacles did not arouse enthusiasm among the expansive Roman public and little by little disappeared altogether, as they did not satisfy the principles of the same notorious policy - “bread and circuses” ... Such were the circuses and circus spectacles in Ancient Rome. Thus, in blood and pain, the art of the circus was born.
Magazine "Soviet Circus" June 1958
The Great Circus (lat. Circus Maximus, it. Circo Massimo - pronounced "Chirco Massimo") is a Roman landmark that doesn't really exist. Well, almost none. In guidebooks, they like to draw pictures of how it looked before, how everything was cool and majestic there, but in fact, almost none of this splendor has been preserved to our days (only the huge field itself). By the way, the Great Circus is often attributed to the sights of the Aventine Hill, while in fact it is located in the lowland between the Aventine and the Palatine.
Nevertheless, it is best to see and appreciate Circo Massimo while walking along the Aventine Hill. Having visited, say, the Orange Grove and admiring the Main Villa, you can go down the winding road:
And get just on the Belvedere of Romulus and Remus: such Observation deck on the slope of the Aventine Hill, from where a beautiful view of the opposite Palatine Hill and the Circus Maximus itself opens (in fact, it’s just a field - if you don’t know in advance, then you might not understand that this is some kind of attraction):
Here, by the way, is a monument to Giuseppe Mazzini, one of the main figures of the Italian Risorgimento (movements for the national liberation of Italy and liberal reforms):
The monument is just facing the field and on the contrary we see something like this, it seems that this very monument is a much more significant attraction, but everything is somewhat trickier:
So, the Circus Maximus was the most extensive hippodrome in ancient Rome. It was located in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills. It is believed that chariot races were first held here by the king Tarquinius Priscus (c. 500 BC). The valley between the Palatine and the Aventine, 600 meters long and about 150 meters wide, since ancient times, due to its position near the most ancient part of the city and the extremely convenient terrain, served as a place for horse riding. It is very likely that the games were given only after the end of the harvest (in 366 BC the ludi Romani were fixed for September). Only in 329 was the start built - lat. carceres - made of wood with a variegated color. There were no permanent buildings at that time, some temporary buildings were made of wood. Mentions about setting up statues, about building a gate, about setting up an apparatus with eggs for counting tours (lat. missus), about acquiring cages for animals, etc. appear after the Punic wars. Under Caesar, the circus area was expanded and a canal (Latin euripus) was dug around the arena. In those days, the chariot competitions took place in a straight line - having reached the end of the arena, the chariots turned around and raced in the opposite direction. Later, with the development of the sewerage system of Rome, a large tunnel (approximately 4.5 meters high and 2.5 meters wide) was laid under the arena, as a result of which, over time, a "ridge" formed in the arena. The leveling of the ground in the arena before each competition cost a lot of labor, and therefore the competition could no longer be held according to the old scheme. The rules of the competition were changed, and the chariots began to ride not in a straight line, but in a circle, bending around the "ridge" of the arena. The new way of holding equestrian competitions quickly took root, and since then horse races have been held on the ring hippodromes:
Julius Caesar expanded the Circus Maximus to 600 meters in length, so that it could accommodate 250 thousand spectators (the same number could watch the competitions standing). In the middle of the short and semicircular side of the described fence of the arena there was a gate through which the winners at the races (Latin porta triumphalis) left the Circus. At the opposite end of the arena stood three towers (lat. oppida); in the middle, a gate was also made, which served for the entry of chariots into the Circus (Latin porta pompae); between it and the side towers, on the right and left, a row of stalls (lat. carceres) for chariots and horses was arranged along the arc of a circle. In the middle of the arena stretched a long and narrow platform (lat. spina) with semicircles at both ends and cone-shaped pillars standing on them (lat. metae). This platform was decorated first with one and then with two obelisks; both of them survived and survived to this day; the first, taken out of Egypt and erected by Augustus, now stands on the Piazza del Popolo; the second, even larger one, erected by Constantine the Great, was moved in 1588 to the square in front of the Lateran Palace. In addition to the obelisks, on the platform in two places were placed on small pedestals (no doubt in honor of the patron of the stadiums Neptune Eqnestris) seven statues of dolphins, spewing water into small pools, and separately from these figures, on special stands, seven balls (lat. .ova):
its constant architectural form The big circus is indebted to Augustus. A number of seats on the nearest steps were given to senators and equestrians; spectators were allowed on the basis of special, unnumbered bronze ticket stamps. The description of Dionysius of Halicarnassus dates back to this time. According to this description, the lower floor of the spectacles was stone, the upper two were wooden; the outer arcades were one-story, they housed shops, taverns, etc. Carceres were a portico with twelve arches for the gate and a middle portal. Claudius created marble carceres and gilded metas; Nero in 63 ordered the Caesar Canal to be filled up to give more space riders. The fire of 64 probably destroyed only the wooden parts; in 68, luxurious festivities are again given in the circus. In 81, Titus built a magnificent gate on the south short side of the circus:
An era in the life of the circus was the reign of Trajan, who expanded the seats for spectators to a very large extent, part of the imperial box built on the site by Domitian, and now destroyed. Domitian paved the way from the circus to his palace. And after Trajan, a significant part of the seats were entirely wooden, as shown by repeated cases of collapses that cost the lives of thousands of spectators. Under Constantine, the circus was thoroughly restored; spina was adorned with a new obelisk taken from Heliopolis:
As early as the 6th century, Theodoric supported the circus; the last games were given by Totila in 549. The most massive circus structure - the Arch of Titus - stood until the 12th century. In the Middle Ages, the stone structures of the circus were dismantled for the construction of new buildings and, in general, almost nothing of the old buildings has been preserved (now some small archaeological work is being carried out, but in fact it is a wasteland):
A small part of the surviving buildings of the Circus Maximus can be seen from Viale Aventino (the main street of the Aventine Hill, in fact, if you move from the Flavian Amphitheater towards Aventina, it will be just along this road):
If you go down from the side of the Orange Grove to the monument to Giuseppe Mazzini, then you can just go to the center of the former hippodrome, from here it is easier to assess its scale (imagining that it was all built up - reconstruction pictures can be found in any guidebooks). From here it opens good view on the opposite Palatine Hill:
Another view of Circo Massimo (in my opinion, the most picturesque) can be obtained if you approach the field from the side of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin (yes, this is where the Mouth of Truth is):
And yes, despite the fact that now the territory of Circus Maximus is in fact the historical center of the city - this territory is not being built up in any way - in memory of the former majestic landmark. By the way, various large social events (for example, rock concerts) are held here. In general - just a huge field as a reminder of the former greatness
Address: Italy Rome
Length: 600 m
Width: about 150 m
Coordinates: 41°53"10.9"N 12°29"07.2"E
For most residents of modern megacities, the word "circus" means a lot of performances: acrobats show their skills in the arena, clowns amuse the audience, and trained predators delight with the talent of their tamer.
In ancient Rome, the Circus Maximus was designed for slightly different purposes. It would be more correct to call it a huge hippodrome, where races were held. The ruins of the Circus Maximus, whose name is on Latin sounded like Circus Maximus- attraction of the capital of Italy, which is of great interest among tourists who come to look at " the eternal City”, on its monuments of history and architecture.
Big circus from a bird's eye view
The Circus Maximus in Rome is located in a picturesque valley between two of the seven hills on which the city is built, the Palatine and the Aventine. On this huge hippodrome, twelve chariots could compete for the right to be called the best at once. The valley itself is huge: its length is 600 meters, and its width is almost 150 meters. Thanks to such a huge area and convenient location, the ancient Romans, who loved spectacles no less tasty food, decided to build a gigantic, even by modern standards, circus here.
The history of the creation of the Circus Maximus in Rome
Naturally, documents and evidence found as a result of archaeological excavations that could shed light on the exact date the construction of the Circus Maximus, alas, is too small. Therefore, the opinions of historians and archaeologists on this score differ slightly. By official version the first luxurious chariot races in the valley were held during the reign of King Tarquinius Priscus. He was in power as early as 500 BC. Until about 330 BC, chariots raced across open space valleys, and the spectators who gathered to watch this spectacle stood on the hills. There were no buildings in those days between the Aventine and the Palatine.
View of the Circus Maximus from the northwest
Only in 330 BC. in the valley was built, the so-called start for the chariots. It was from this point that the horses carrying the chariot began their race. The valley made it possible to conduct races only in a straight line. The man sitting in the chariot drove from the “start” to the end of the valley, then turned the horses around and, trying to overtake the rivals, rushed back.
There are suggestions that in 330 BC, competitions on the territory of the Circus Maximus in Rome were held exclusively after the end of the harvest. Such an opinion may indicate that the races were a kind of holiday after the harvest, and at the place where they were held, the peasants cultivated the soil. IN Lately archaeologists managed to find the remains of temporary buildings in the valley, which served as a lodge for especially noble guests who came to watch the chariot competitions.
View of the Circus Maximus from the southeast
The first statues and gates, cages where animals were kept, appeared in the Circus Maximus only after the end of the last Punic War- about 146 BC. Surprisingly, it was in those days that the first rules and the scheme for conducting races were laid down, which have survived to this day. This was due to the fact that a sewer tunnel was dug in the middle of the valley, the height of which was more than 4.5 meters and the width was 2.5 meters. Of course, a hill formed in the valley, which the ancient Romans did not want to compare. The usual scheme of racing "back and forth" could no longer exist, and the chariots had to go in circles. The huge structure of Circus Maximus was the very first circular hippodrome in the world.
The Rise and Fall of the Circus Maximus
Gaius Julius Caesar, who became famous not only for his victories on the fields of bloody battles, but also for his talent as a politician, truly loved Rome and firmly believed that he really would become an “eternal city”, however, like the entire Roman Empire. That is why during his reign the construction of various buildings and arenas, the ruins of which have survived to this day, was carried out at a truly frantic pace and, of course, on a special scale. Didn't stay without it close attention and Circus Maximus, who, on his orders, was upset to incredible proportions. If we compare modern circuses and stadiums, for example, the legendary Wembley, then their squares simply pale in front of the Circus Maximus in Rome.
Incredibly, in addition to the permanent lodges for the nobility, 250 thousand plebs could sit and watch the races, exactly the same number (!) There were standing places. From this we can conclude that the spectacle attracted half a million inhabitants of ancient Rome. Three huge towers, the gate through which the winners left the circus in their chariots, and a narrow platform in the middle of the arena were built in a record short time. It was decided to decorate this hill with stunning obelisks, which were specially delivered to Rome from Egypt. By the way, these obelisks miraculously survived and continue to amaze modern tourists. True, not on the territory of the Circus Maximus: one of them was moved to Piazza del Popolo, and the second was erected almost at the entrance to the Lateran Palace.
Not only Gaius Julius Caesar contributed to the construction of the Circus Maximus. During the reign of Augustus, stone places were built on the lower tiers; only those Romans who could afford to purchase special tickets made of bronze could sit on them. The upper tiers were made of strong wood species. Claudius did not stop there and decided to make some precious marbles, which were trimmed with gold. The ruler Nero, who became famous as an evil tyrant who destroyed the "eternal city", decided that Caesar had given too little space for horsemen, and decided to increase the number of chariots participating in the races. To do this, he simply filled up the channel, which was dug long before his birth.
View of the Palatine from the Circus Maximus
AD 64 was a disaster for Rome. The fire, which destroyed almost the entire city, did not bypass the Great Circus either: all the upper tiers, which were built of wood and in which various shops and taverns were located, were completely burned. Despite the devastation, during the reign of Mark Ulpius Nerva Trajan, already in 81, luxurious gates were built and the upper wooden lodges were recreated. However, the architects of that time made a lot of mistakes in their calculations, and modern archaeologists managed to find out that numerous collapses claimed the lives of thousands of Romans.
The last mass equestrian race took place in 549. After that, the Circus Maximus of Rome began to decline.. The tiers collapsed, the competition of riders in chariots no longer interested the Romans. In the Middle Ages, Rome was constantly upset: the builders did not think long about where to get the material for the construction of new residential buildings. They simply dismantled the Great Circus and other structures erected during the heyday of the Great Roman Empire.
General view of the arena of the Circus Maximus
With the place where a tourist can now see the few ruins of the Great Circus, there is one very interesting legend. In fairness, it should be noted that it is not confirmed by any scientific facts. Some ancient Romans in their writings say that it was difficult to meet at least one woman in Rome: the entire population of the city consisted of almost men. The Romans went to the trick: more precisely, the notorious Romulus. He organized a grand celebration between two hills and invited families from nearby cities to it. In the midst of the performance, Roman men, with weapons in their hands, rushed at the guests, and kidnapped all the girls and women. This legend even has its own name: "the abduction of the Sabian women." Following this, war broke out, but this story no longer has anything to do with the valley located between the Palatine and the Aventine. This is most likely just a legend, you can learn about it from stories passed down from generation to generation. Also in Florence, you can now see a statue dating from 1583, and named by the sculptor - the abduction of Sabian women.
