Summary

The Circus Maximus in Rome has a history that spans more than a millennium. The complex gradually took form in what was once the Murcia Valley, a wide space that, from the regal period, was organized to house equestrian events, the ludi circensi, held during major religious festivals. The first permanent building, later reconstructed by Trajan, was established at the end of the 1st century bce and constituted the architectural model of reference for other circuses in the Empire. The Circus of Rome was a large, highly functional, multipurpose structure, able to accommodate a vast number of spectators. It not only provided a venue for the majority of popular spectacles as well as civic, ludic, and military events, but it also represented an urban area of great attraction for the daily life of the city due to the numerous commercial and entertainment spaces located in its interior.