A circus was built by Hcliogabalus, on ground without the present Porta Maggiore. It was hence that the obe lisk was taken, which is now erected in the interior gar den of the Vatican.
There was a fine circus in the Sallustian gardens, which, it is said, might be filled with water for the exhi bition of Naumachix.
There was also the circus of Flora, on the Quirinal, at which the exhibitions were given by the courtezans of Rome.
But of all the ancient Roman circuses, the one which preserves the most considerable traces of its ancient form, and by which, therefore, the modern inquirer might be best assisted in gaining some idea of these structures, is that which is situated beyond the Porta Capena, now Porta St Sebastiana, and of which the ruins have, by a uniform tradition, been designated as the remains of the circus of Caracalla.
In the plan of Rome by Panvinius, there are uncertain indications of some other circuses. There likewise still exist obscure traces of circuses, in different parts of the world that had been anciently subject to the Roman em pire ;—at Tarragona, Alerida, and Saguntum, now Mur viedro, in Spain; at Nismes, at Milan, and Antioch. There remains also the ancient I lippodromc at Constanti nople.
'Co mantain order in such a concourse of people as attend ed the exhibitions at the circuses, and to prevent any.of fence to the Roman pride, which was very jealous of any mixture of persons of different ranks, there were persons called designators, who were to assign to every one his place. With similar views, 'Tarquin divided his circus
into 30 compartments, a number equal to that of the curie into which the people of Rome were at that time divided.
Though the circuses were primarily constructed for the exhibition of chariot races, they were used also occasion ally for various other purposes. Indeed the Ludi circeu ses themselves, included several other exercises besides these. The magistrates also frequently held their assem blies in those edifices, and exercised those public func tions, which, from the great multitudes of people attend ing, could not have been so well discharged in the tem ples and basilicas. Cicero informs us, that many ha rangues were pronounced in the Flaminian circus. Plu tarch says, that Lucullus exhibited his triumph in this circus ; and it was in the same place, that Augustus pro nounced the funeral oration of llrusus. The A gnaninians having to assemble a general council, appointed it to be held in their circus, where they declared war against the Romans. The circuses were also a kind of public places, that were frequented by charlatans, diviners, and other people of that class. Sec Bianconi Descrizione del Circa de Caracalla ; Mosaique d'Italica. (x)