Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/836

 816 R05IA. of gladiatorial combats at Rome took place on the Forum Boarium, at the funeral of the father of Marcus and Decimiis Brutus, b. c. 264. (Val. Max. ii. 4. § 7.) The valley between the Palatine and Aventine, occupied by the Circus JIaxinius was, as we have liad occasion to mention in the former jiart of this article, in earlier times called Vallis Murcia, from an altar of the Dea Murcia, or Venus, which stood there. He who mounts the enormous mass of ruins which marks the site of the imperial palace on the S. side of the Palatine hill may still trace the extent and configuration of the circus, the area of which is occupied by kitchen gardens, whilst a gas manufac- tory stands on the site of the carceres. The de- scription of the circus itself will be reserved for a separate section devoted to objects of the same description, and we shall here only treat of the different monuments contained in it as a Region or district. The whole length of the circus was 3^ stadia, or nearly half a mile, the circular end being near the Septizonium, and the carceres or starting place nearly uuder the church of S. Anastasia, where the circus adjoined the Forum Boarium. Its prox- imity to the latter is shown by the circumstance that the Maxima Ara Herculis before alluded to is some- times mentioned as being at the entrance of the Circus JIaximus, and sometimes as on the Forum Boarium (" Ingens ara Herculis pos januas Circi Maximi," Serv. ad Aen. viii. 271 ; cf. Dionys. i. 40; Ovid, Fast. i. 581 ; Liv. i. 7, &c.) The large Temple of Her- cules must undoubtedly have been close to this altar, but on the Forum Boarium. The Vallis Murcia contained several old and famous temples and altars, some of which were in- cluded in the circus itself. Such was the case with the altar or Sacellum of Murclv herself (" Intumus Circus ad Murcim vocatur — ibi sacellutn etiam nunc Murteae Veneris," Varr. L. L. v. § 154, Mull.) ; but its exact site cannot be determined. CoNSUS had also a subterranean altar in the circus, which was opened during the games and closed at other times. It is described by Tertullian as being " ad primas metas," and therefore probably at a dis- tance of about one-third of the whole length of the circus from the carceres, and near the middle of the S. side of the Palatine hill. (Tert. deSpect.b; a.rr. L.L. vi. § 20, Miill.; Tac. Ann. xii. 24; Plut. Rom. 14.) But the chief temple on the circus was the Tejiple OF Till'", Sun, to which deity it was principally conse- crated ('• Circus Soli prineipaliterconsecratur: rujus aedes medio spatio et effigies de fastigio aedis emicat," Tert. Sped. 8). Tacitus mentions the same ancient temple as being " apud Circum" {Ann. xv. 74); and from a comparison of these passages we may conclude that it stood in the middle of one of its sidps, and probably under the Aventine. The Notitia and Curiosum mention it ambiguously in con- junction with a Tejiple of Luna, so that it might po.ssibly be inferred that both deities had a common temple (•' Templum Solis et Lunae," Reg. xi.). It seems, however, more probable that there were two distinct temples, as we frequently find them men- tioned Beparately in authors, but never in conjunction. It is perhaps the same temple of Luna which we have already mentioned on the Aventine, in which case it might have been situated on the declivity of that hill facing the circus, and behind the temple of Sol. Luna, like Sol, was a Circensian deity, both performing their appointed circuits in qua- drigae. (Job. Lydus, de Mens. i. 12; Tert. Sped. 9; Cass. Var. iii. 51.) The .situation of the Temple OF Mercury, mentioned next to the two preceding ones in the Curiosum, may be determined with more accuracy, if we may believe an account recorded by Kardini (Rom. Ant. lib. vii. c. 3) on the authority of a certain Francesco Passeri, respecting the dis- covery of the remains of a small temple of that deity in a vineyard between the Circus Maximus and the Aventine. The remains were those of a little tetra- style temple, which was identified as that of Mercury from an altar having the caduceus and petasus sculptured on it. The temple is represented on a medal of iL Aurelius, who appears to have restored it. The site agrees with that described by Ovid (Fast. V. 669):— " Templa tibi posucre patres spectantia Circum Idibus : ex illo est haec tibi festa dies." A comparison of this passage with Livy, " aedes Mercurii dedicata est Idibus Mails" (ii. 21), shows that the same ancient sanctuary is alluded to, the dedication of which caused a dispute between the consuls, B. c. 495 (/&. c. 27). We next find men- tioned in the Notitia an Aedes BLvtris Deum, and another of Jo■^^s Arboratoris, for which we should probably read " Liberatoris." The Magna Mater was one of the Circensian divinities. Her im.age was exhibited on the spina (Tert. Sped. 8), and it would appear that she had also a temple in the vicinity. Of a temple of Jupiter Liberator we know nothing further, though Jove was certainly wor- shipped at Rome under that name (Tac. Ann. xv. 64, xvi. 35), and games celebrated in his honour in the month of October. ( Calend. Vindoh. ap. Preller, Reg. p. 192.) Next to these an Aedes Ditis Patris is named in the Notitia, but does not appear in the Curiosum. Some writers would identify Dispater with SuJi- MANUS, quasi Summus ]Manium( v. Gruter, MXV. 7 ; Mart. Capell. ii. 161); but there was a great dif- ference of opinion re.specting this old Sabine god, and even the Romans themselves could not tell pre- cisely who he was. Thus Ovid (Fast. vi. 725): — " Reddita, quisquis is est, Summano templa feruntur Tunc cum Romanis, Pyrrhe, timendus eras." The temj)le to him here alluded to was, however, certainly near the Circus JIaximus, since Pliny mentions some annual sacrifices of dogs as made " inter aedem .Juventatis et Summani " (xix. 4) ; and that the Temple of Juventas was at the Circus Maximus we learn from Livy: "Juven- tatis aedem in Circo Maximo C. Licinius Lucullus triumvir dedicavit" (xxxvii. 36; cf. Calend. Amert. XII. Kal. Jul. : " Summano ad Circ. Jlax."). The temple of Summanus, therefore, must have been dedicated during the war with Fyrrhus, and that of Juventas in b. c. 192. Close to the W. extremity of the circus, and towering as it were over the carceres from its being built apparently on the slope of the Aventine (Jnrtp avras iSpvfj.evos rets acpeaeis, Dionys. vi. 94), stood a famous Temple of Ceres, dedicated also to Liber and Libera. Thus Tacitus, relating the dedication of the temple by Tiberius, it having been restored by Augustus, says : " Libero, Liberaeque et Cereri, juxta Circum Maximum, quam A. Postumius dic- tator voverat (dedicavit)" (A7in. ii. 49). It is men- tioned by other writers as " ad Circum Maximum"; whence Canina's identification of it with the church of S. Maria in Costncdin seems improbable {Indicaz.