. The life of the Greeks and Romans. rt of it where the raceI began; it resembles the hippaphesis ofI the hippodrome of Olympia, and is one|| of the most essential features of the whole arrangement. We are speaking ofI the compartments for the single chariots(carceres), being placed in a line at oncecurved and oblique, in order to produceequal distance from the point wherethe real race began (see Plan, Fig. CIRCUS MAXIMUS IN ROME. 423 430). The number of these carceres, in the middle ofwhich lay the entrance-portal, was twelve : on the two sidesare tower-like buildings (oppida), occurring also
. The life of the Greeks and Romans. rt of it where the raceI began; it resembles the hippaphesis ofI the hippodrome of Olympia, and is one|| of the most essential features of the whole arrangement. We are speaking ofI the compartments for the single chariots(carceres), being placed in a line at oncecurved and oblique, in order to produceequal distance from the point wherethe real race began (see Plan, Fig. CIRCUS MAXIMUS IN ROME. 423 430). The number of these carceres, in the middle ofwhich lay the entrance-portal, was twelve : on the two sidesare tower-like buildings (oppida), occurring also in otherracecourses. In one of these towers we discover steps leading tothe seats on the roofs of the carceres. In the middle of the courselies the spina (a raised line), with the metce (goals) at both ends;round these the chariots had to race a certain number of the centre of the semicircular curve of the course, opposite thecarceres, lies the triumphal gate {porta triumphalis) through whichthe victor left the circus. I I. Fig. 431. The same arrangements, on a large scale, we find repeatedin the numerous racecourses of Rome itself. We mention onlythe Circus Maximus, lying in the broad valley between thePalatine and Aventine hills. This circus (afterwards, in com-parison to other smaller ones, called the largest) is said to havebeen built by King Tarquinius Priscus, who also arranged theseats of the people, according to their division, into thirty Tarquinius Superbuss time already the circus was enlarged andthe seats re-arranged, which process of enlargement and embellish-ment was, in the course of a thousand years, repeated frequently,the last restorer being Constantine or his son Constantius. The 424 THE ROMAN THEATRE. additions consisted of massive buildings in several stories, by meansof which the number of seats was gradually increased from 150,000to 260,000, according to a later account even to 383,000.* Thecircus has entirely disappeared, the regulate
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