CIRCUS, a straight, long, narrow building, whose length to its breadth was generally as five to one. It was divided down the centre by an ornamented bar rier called the spina, and was used by the Romans for the exhibition of public spec tacles and chariot races. There were several of these at Rome, of which the most celebrated was the Circus Maximus. Julius Caisar improved and altered tho Circus Maximus; and that it 'night servo for the purpose of * naumaehia., supplied it with water. Augustus added to it the celebrated obelisk now standing in the Piazza del Popolo. No vestiges of this circus remain. Besides these were at Rome the cirri of FIaminius, near tho Pantheon ; Agonalis, occupying the site of what is now the Piazza 'Savona; of Nero, on a portion whereof St. Peter's stands ; Morns. Antoninus, and Aurelian, no longer even in ruins ; and that of Ca racalla, which was 738 feet in length, and is sufficiently perfect in the present day to exhibit its plan and distribution in the most satisfactory manner. The specta cles exhibited in the circus were ea lied the Circensian games, and consisted chief.
ly of chariot and horse races. The Ro mans were passionately fond of them, and more particularly of the chariot races, which excited so great an interest in the times of the emperors as to divide the whole population of the city into factions, known by the names of the Colors worn by the different charioteers. The disputes
of these factions sometimes led to serious disturbances, and even bloodshed.—In modern times, the word is applied to de signate a circular enclosure for the ex hibition of feats of horsemanship.
in architecture and sculpture, a chest or basket. It is a term usually ap plied to the mystic baskets employed in processions connected with the Eleusinian mysteries. They were originally of wick er-work, and when afterwards made of metal the form and texture were preserv ed in imitation of the original material. When sculptured on antique monuments it indicates some connection with the mys teries of Ceres and Bacchus. The cista found at Preneste, and now in the Col legio Romano, is of surpassing beauty ; on it is represented the expedition of the Argonauts in is style not unworthy of Grecian art, but by the inscription ap parently of Italian workmanship.