Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/863

 ROMA, These gardens of the Domitian family are frequently mentioned in inscriptions; and those who are curious respecting their history will find a long account of them in Preller's Reyionen (p. 207, seq.). They appear to have existed under the same name in the time of Aurelian. (Vopisc. Aurel. 49.) In the same district were also the Horti Agkippinae. These came into the possession of her son, Ca- ligula, who built a circus in them, afterwards called the Circus Neronis. It will be treated of in another section; and we shall only mention here that this was the place in which the Christians, having previously been wrapped iu the tunica molesta or picata, were burnt, to serve as torches for the midnight games. (Tac. Ann. xv. 44.) Both the gardens mentioned came into the possession of Nero, and may therefore have also been called HouTi Neronis. (Tac. lb. and c. 39.) The neighbourhood seems to have been a chosen spot for the sepulchres of the great. One of them, a pyramid larger than the still existing monument of Cestius, existed till the end of the 15th century, and was absurdly regarded sometimes as the se- pulcrum Jiomull, sometimes as the sepulcrum Sci- pionis Africani. It appears from notices belonging to the middle ages that on or near the spot where St. Peter's now stands, there was anciently a Tem- I'LUM Apollinis, or more probably of Sol. (Anas- tasius, Vit. Silvestri, p. 42 ; Jlontf. Biar. i. p. 1.55.) ROMA. 84.'; Having thus gone over the various districts of the city, and noted the principal objects of interest which they contained, we shall now proceed to give an account of certain objects which, from their importance, their general similarity, and the sniall- ness of their number, may be most conveniently ranged together and treated of in distinct sections. Such are, — (1) the structures destined for public games and spectacles, as the Circi, Theatres, and Amphitheatres; (2) the Thermae or Baths ; (3) the Bridges ; and, (4) the Aqueducts. The general characteristics of these objects have been so fully described in the Dictionary of An- tiquities that it will be unnecessary to repeat the descriptions here, and we shall therefore confine ourselves to what may be called their topographical history ; that is, an account of their origin and progress, their situation, size, and other similar particulars. XV. The Circi, Theatres, and Amphi- theatres. Horse and chariot races were the earliest kind of spectacle known at Rome. The principal circus in which these sports were exhibited, and which by way of pre-eminence over the others came ultimately to be distinguished by the title of Circus Maxi- Mus, was founded, as we have already related, by the elder Tarquin, in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine. That king, however, probably did little more than level and mark out the gi'ound ; for certain spaces around it were assigned to the patricians and knights, and to the 30 curiae, on which, at the time of the games, they erected their own seats or scaf- folds, called spectacula and fori. (Liv. i. 35 ; cf. Dionys. iii. 68.) According to Livy, the same custom continued to prevail under Tarquinius Su- perbus (76. c. 56) ; 'though Dionysius represents that monarch as surrounding the circus with por- ticoes (iv. 44). It was not till tlie year b. c. 228 that carceres for the chariots were built. (Liv. viii. 20.) We cannot tell what the original number of carceres may have been, but it was probably adapted to that of the chariots which started in the race. According to Tertullian (de Spect. 9) there were originally only two Circensian factions, or colours, the albata and russata — that is, winter and summer; but these distinctions of colours and factions do not seem to have been known till the time of the Empire. Joannes Lydus {de Mens. iv. 25, Beck.) states the original number of the factions to have been three, the russata, albata and prasina; and this seems to agree with the following passage in Cicero— if, indeed, it is to be interpreted strictly, and is anything more than a fortuitous coincidence : " Neque enim in quadrigis eum se- cundum numeraverim, aut tertium, qui vix e car- ceribus exierit, cum palmam jam primus acceperit." (Brut. 47.) However this may be, we know that in the early part of the Empire there were four colours, though by whom the fourth, or veneta, was added, cannot be said. Domitian added two more is aurata a.nd^ purpurata (Suet. Dom. 7), but these do not seem to have come into customary use. The usual missus, or start, consisted of four chariots, as we learn from Viigil with the note of Servius : — " Centum quadrijugos agitabo ad flumina currus " (Georg. iii. 18); where the commentator remarks from Varro: — "Id est, unius diei exhibebo circenses ludos, quia, ut Varro dicit in libris de gente populi Romani, olim XXV. missus fiebant.'' It appears probable that the carceres were twice the number of the chariots which started, in order to afford egress to those which had finished the course, whilst fresh cha- rioteers were waiting in those which were closed to begin a new course (v. Becker, de Miiris, p. 87). Thus in the Lyons mosaic eight carceres are repre- sented; but in the Circus Maximus, after the in- crease of the factions to six, there were probably twelve carceres; and such also appears to have been the number in the circus on the Via Appia. (Cf. Cassiod. Var. iii. 51.) The Circus Maximus seems to have remained in a very rude and im- perfect state till the time of Julius Caesar. He increased it by adding to both its extremities; and its size when thus enlarged appears to have been 3 stadia in length and 1 in breadth. Caesar also surrounded it with a canal, called Euripus, in order to protect the spectators from the fury of the elephants; but this was filled up by Nero and con- verted into seats for the equites, whose increased numbers probably required more accommodation. (Suet. Caes. 39; Plin. viii. 7, xxxvi. 24. s. 1.) The description of the circus by Dionysius (iii. G8) is the clearest and longest we possess, but the measurements which he gives difler from those of Pliny, as he makes it 3^ stadia long and 4 plethra, or §ds of a stade, broad. But perhaps these authorities may be reconciled by assuming that one took the inner and the other the outer circumference. The reader will find a lengthened examination of these different measures in Canina's Indicazione Topograjica, p. 491, seq. In Caesar's circus it was only the lower rows of scats that were built of stone; the upper rows wore of wood, which accounts f(jr the repeated fires that happened there. The first of these occurred in B.C. 31, a little before the battle of Actium, and destroyed a considerable