Circus Maximus was the former chariot racing arena in Rome. The track was originally bordered by
banks of wooden seats. Later the starting stalls (carceres),
the spina, which divided the racecourse, and stone seats
were added to the older structure. At the end of the
Spina were the "metae" or turning posts, and
seven eggs and seven dolphins which were moved so as
to indicate which of the seven laps of the race was
in progress.
In 10 b.C. Augustus brought from Heliopolis
the obelisk of Rameses II 24 mt high ( which today graces
the Piazza del Popolo), to occupy the centre of the
circus and in 357 A.D. also the obelisk of Thutmosis
III 32mt high was added (by wish of Pope Sixtus V it
stands today in the Piazza S.Giovanni in Laterano).
The circus was enlarged by Caesar and
Augustus added to it the pulvinar (royal enclosure or
sacred area).Its seating capacity was of around 150,000
people till the reconstruction by Nero who, after the
great fire of 64, increased the number of seats to 250,000.
Further enlarged it reached the colossal dimension of
600 by 200 metres.
There are quite a few hotels located with easy walking distance of Circus Maximus including the Domus Aventina hotel in Rome , another hotel near Circo Massimo is the more upmarket Kolbe a luxury 4 star hotel and finally for the less demanding traveller we recommend the Arena Guest House by the Colosseum
Today few remains are still preserved
at the southeast end. In 1931 by the northwest end a
brickstone edifice dating back to the Imperial Age (
probably a tribunal) was discovered, it was transformed
in the III cent. A.D. in a Mitreum (today under the
basement of the ex- pasta factory Pantanella).
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