Circus Maximus 

     The Circus Maximus was another public entertainment center, and was just a single, specific facility in Rome. The Maximus was used mostly for chariot racing.  Ancient Roman men had to ride in a cart pulled by many horses as fast as they could around the track.  This made for a sporting event that was very exciting to watch.  People, both rich and poor crammed into the Maximus.  It could seat 250,000 people! (That's a quarter of a million people!) There were other circuses in ancient Rome.

    While the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus were important buildings where Ancient Romans went to watch the competition, this was not the only place Romans could go for entertainment.  The ancient Romans enjoyed many different kinds of entertainment. Most events were free, which meant poor people could attend as well as the rich. Plays were performed in large open air theaters. There were lots of theatres, and even the small ones could seat 7,000 people. Some events happened during the day, some in the evening. If wealthy Romans stayed home, they lit oil lamps, to enjoy the evening. The poor, unless they went out, went to bed as soon as it got dark as they couldn't afford to keep oil lamps burning.   

     In the city, there was a place called the Campus. This was the old drill ground for soldiers. It was a large section of plain near the Tiber River. Over time, the Campus became ancient Rome's field and track playground. Even such famous people as Caesar and Augustus exercised on the Campus. Young men, all over Rome, gathered at the Campus to play and exercise. On the Campus, men participated in foot racing, jumping, archery, wrestling and boxing. After a bout of exercise, they might jump in the Tiber River for a swim, or wander off to the Baths, to relax.
 
 

Link to the Colosseum

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