The Roman circus

The largest Roman monument, the circus, could only be built outside the city. It was built to the southwest of the city, on the banks of the Rhône, in the 2nd century. It was mainly used for horse and chariot racing, but also for occasional cavalry battles and venationes, a kind of hound hunt. Its construction can hardly have been easy. Given the unstable nature of the terrain, it had to be built on thousands of wooden piles. Few of its materials and decorations remain, having been dispersed...