The Role of the Circus Maximus in Ancient Rome

From one side of the Palatine hill it is possible to admire the elongated form of the largest stadium built in the ancient world: the Circus Maximus. According to the historian Livy it was wanted by the Etruscan king Tarquinius Priscus to celebrate chariot races competition. The stadium could accommodate around 300 thousand people and had shops at the bottom of its structures. As we have discussed in the previous posts it was from there that the fire of Rome began in the year 62 CE also because at Nero's time the circus had the upper level seats still on wood. It was really a magnificent building that had an internal water channel that allowed the charioteers to better guide their performances and had also obelisks that were brought by the Roman emperors throughout the history as a plunder from Egypt.