Circus of Maxentius, Via Appia Antica - Rome, Italy
N 41° 51.271 E 012° 31.163
33T E 294086 N 4636598
The Circus of Maxentius is part of a complex of buildings erected by emperor Maxentius on the Via Appia between AD 306 and 312.
Waymark Code: WMPPTB
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 10/03/2015
Views: 2
It is situated between the second and third miles of the Via Appia between the basilica and catacombs of San Sebastiano and the imposing late republican tomb of Caecilia Metella.
The Circus itself is the best preserved of all Roman circuses, and is second only in size to the Circus Maximus in Rome.
The only games recorded at the circus were its inaugural ones and these are generally thought to have been funerary in character.[3] They would have been held in honour of Maxentius' son Valerius Romulus, who died in AD 309 at a very young age and who was probably interred in the adjacent cylindrical tomb (tomb of Romulus). The imperial box (pulvinar) of the circus is connected, via a covered portico, to the villa of Maxentius, whose scant remains are today obscured by dense foliage, except for the apse of the basilical audience hall, which pokes out from the tree tops. The complex was probably never used after the death of Maxentius in AD 312 (archaeological excavations indicate the tracks were covered in sand already in antiquity).
The modern-day visitor enters the circus from the west end, where the remains of the two still imposing towers are located. These would have contained the mechanism for raising the carceres (starting gates), which were positioned on an arcuated course between the towers. Once out of the gates, the chariots would race down the track, the full 503 m length of which can still be seen.
Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Empire > 27 B.C.
Admission Fee: Free
Opening days/times:
Opening hours
Tuesday-Sunday: 10:00 - 16.00;
24 and 31 December: 10.00 14.00;
Web Site: [Web Link]
Condition: Some remaining traces (ruins) or pieces
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