As revered as successful gladiators were the charioteers of the circus, where
performances were staged before audiences as enthusiastic if not as large as those in the
Colosseum. There were several circuses in Rome, the Circus Flaminius which had been
built in the days of the Republic,2 the Circus Gaius inagurated by Caligula,3 and, most
splendid of all, the Circus Maximus which, in use perhaps since the time of the kings,
had been improved and enlarged by Julius Caesar and could accommodate well over
150,000 spectators.4 Here, in the immense arena eventually measuring 1,800 feet by 600
feet and surrounded by shops and eating places, by taverns and the booths of prostitutes
and fortune-tellers, horse races and chariot races took place in an atmosphere of noisy
excitement, betting frenzy and amorous intrigue.
performances were staged before audiences as enthusiastic if not as large as those in the
Colosseum. There were several circuses in Rome, the Circus Flaminius which had been
built in the days of the Republic,2 the Circus Gaius inagurated by Caligula,3 and, most
splendid of all, the Circus Maximus which, in use perhaps since the time of the kings,
had been improved and enlarged by Julius Caesar and could accommodate well over
150,000 spectators.4 Here, in the immense arena eventually measuring 1,800 feet by 600
feet and surrounded by shops and eating places, by taverns and the booths of prostitutes
and fortune-tellers, horse races and chariot races took place in an atmosphere of noisy
excitement, betting frenzy and amorous intrigue.
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