The Circus Maximus and Preparation for the Games

Question 1

What was a circus

Answer 1

A stadium for chariot races

‘Circuit/circle’

Question 2

What were the ludi circenses

Answer 2

‘Circus games’

Chariot racing games

Question 3

Where was the circus maximus

Answer 3

In the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills

Question 4

Describe the upgrades to the circus maximus

Answer 4

46 BCE - Julius Caesar; developed the cavea
Seating capacity of 150,000

In the next century it grew to seat 250,000

Question 5

Describe the stadium circus maximus

Answer 5

Sandy track (600m length, 150m across)
In the middle was the spina
At the end of the spina was the meta
Various monuments and symbols of the gods (obelisk from the time of Rameses II set up by Augustus to mark his conquest of Egypt), statue of Neptune
7 ova (7 bronze dolphins in imperial times)
Spectators could not see occasionally
12 carceres (wood, 46BCE- stone, Claudius - marble) made staggered starts. Spring-loaded starting gate

Question 6

Describe the seating of the circus maximus

Answer 6

Wrapped round 3 sides (fourth for carceres)

Three tiers
Lowest - marble: state priests (Vestal Virgins), senators and wealthy equites
Middle - stone: anyone, little segregation
Top - standing room

Pulvinar (top tier, Palatine side) contained a shrine to the gods

Numerous stairways and exits

Question 7

Describe the surrounding area of the circus maximus

Answer 7

Numerous shops and taverns

64CE - fire broke out in a taberna which devastated the whole city

Question 8

Describe wild beast shows

Answer 8

Until 64CE

Moat constructed 46BCE

General Pompey sent armed captives from the Gaetulia in North Africa to fight against 20 elephants. Iron fence buckled and crowd fled

Question 9

Describe the factiones

Answer 9

4 teams
Red and whites were earliest
Blues and greens
Emperor Domitian tried to add gold and purple

Question 10

Describe the staff of a dominus factionis

Answer 10

Stable boys, trainers, veterinary surgeons, grooms, guards, saddlers, dressers, waterers

Agitatores/aurigae

Question 11

Describe aurigae

Answer 11

Paid extraordinary sums if best

Low born origin - freedmen (or slaves who might be able to pay for their freedom with a few victories)

Question 12

Describe the pay of an aurigae

Answer 12

Prize money for one race: 60,000 sesterces

Juvenal complained that Lacerta (a red charioteer) could earn 100x a lawyers fee

Question 13

Describe Diocles

Answer 13

From Lusitania
2nd century CE (122CE first race)

24 year career
1462 wins of 4257 races
Died aged 42
Amassed prize money exceeding 35 million sesterces

Question 14

Describe Scorpus

Answer 14

Died in a race aged 26

2048 victories

Gilded busts of him around Rome

Question 15

Describe the popularity of aurigae

Answer 15

Images of them found in walls of streets and buildings of excavated cities (Pompeii, Ostia)

Suetonius said that before the reign of Nero they could get away with mugging people unpunished

Question 16

Describe Nero as a charioteer

Answer 16

65CE - had the Olympics postponed for a year
(Never before in 800 year history)

Entered in a ten-horse chariot and was cellared winner even though he was thrown from his chariot and didn’t complete the race (paid judges 1 million sesterces)

After his death the Olympic council deleted the result

Suetonius says he kicked his pregnant wife Poppaea to death after she folded him for coming home late from the ludi circenses

Question 17

meta

Answer 17

Turning point

Question 18

spina

Answer 18

Narrow dividing embankment

Question 19

pulvinar

Answer 19

Royal box
Palatine side
Contained shrine to gods