The Roman circus of Mérida is a Roman circus in the Roman '' colonia'' of Emerita Augusta –present-day Mérida, Spain–, capital of the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...

. Used for

chariot racing Chariot racing (, ''harmatodromía''; ) was one of the most popular Ancient Greece, ancient Greek, Roman Empire, Roman, and Byzantine Empire, Byzantine sports. In Greece, chariot racing played an essential role in aristocratic funeral games from ...

during

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

, it was modelled on the

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

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and other circus buildings throughout the Empire. Measuring more than in length and width, it could house up to 30,000 spectators. Although currently in ruins, it is one of the best preserved examples of Roman circus. It is part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida, which is one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain and that was declared a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

in 1993.

History

There is no consensus about the circus' dating, as it was built and used for several years before its official dedication. It seems to have been built sometime around 20 BC and inaugurated some 30 years later. It was located far outside the city walls, but close to the road that connected the city to Toledo and Córdoba. After the

fall of the Western Roman Empire The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast ...

and the rise of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

in Spain, the circus saw more use than the other Roman structures of Mérida, since racing was considered less sinful than spectacles performed in the

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

and the

Amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

Modern status

Mérida's circus remains very well preserved. As is true with the

, most circuses's structures have been destroyed over time as the area occupied by them was great and often in very flat land near their respective cities. The Mérida circus however has kept numerous structures, including the ''Porta Pompae'' ("main entrance"), the ''Porta Triumphalis''Mihailuk, Andre, ''Porta triumphalis'', in "Mapping the Roman Triumphal procession", 201

accessed 2022-11-17 ("triumph gate"), the ''spina'' (the longitudinal wall), the ''tribunal iudicium'' ("tribune of the judges"). A museum dedicated to the circus now sits near the middle edge of the circus grounds and it allows admittance into the fenced area around the circus remains.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman circus of Merida Mérida Circus of Mérida Buildings and structures in Mérida, Spain History of Extremadura Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC 1st-century BC establishments in the Roman Republic 20 BC establishments Tourist attractions in Extremadura

History

Modern status

See also

References