Circus Maximus procession, 16th-century illustration. The Circus Maximus was the largest chariot racetrack in ancient Rome. It was 620 metres long, 120 metres wide, and could hold around 150, 000 spectators. It was also a public space, used for religious processions and for markets when no races were being held. Here, various groups (annotated in Latin) are forming a procession. The groups shown (from top right) include Roman senators, magistrates, lictors (bodyguards), priests, vestel virgins, augurs, flamines (priests), pontifices (priests), and numerous other groups, including horse-drawn chariots and religious objects. This illustration was from a book by Italian historian and antiquary Onofrio Panvinio (1529-1568) that was published posthumously. |