The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word 'cursus' can be generally translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as 'course'. The word derives from ''currere'', to run. It may be applied, for example, to a course of study or of medical treatment or to a race-course.

Roman race-course.

At its simplest, the Roman race-course took the form of two posts; each called a ''discrimen'' or a ''meta'', round which the runners, whether on foot, on

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

s or in

chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...

s, raced. The normal arrangement was more formalised as two straights, separated by a ''spina'' but very close to each other and with a very tight turn at each turning point. It was the similarity in appearance of this Roman ''cursus'' to the Neolithic archaeological feature which led 18th century antiquarians to use the same name for the latter. This combination of straight and tight turn combined the thrills of

speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...

on the straights with those of danger as collisions and falls were likely on the turns. The distinction between a ''cursus'' and a ''circus'' in connection with racing is not wholly clear. Compare the description above with that of the

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and lar ...

Literature

* https://books.google.com/books?id=9rI6CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA533

Roman race-course.

Literature

See also