 Drawing of the Circus of Nero (Pietro Santi Bartoli, 1699) | |
  Circus of Nero Shown within Augustan Rome | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Coordinates | 41°54′6″N12°27′19″E / 41.90167°N 12.45528°E /41.90167; 12.45528 |
|---|---|
| Type | Circus |
TheCircus of Nero orCircus of Caligula was acircus inancient Rome, located mostly in the present-dayVatican City.
It was first built underCaligula.
TheAger Vaticanus, the alluvial plain outside the city walls on the west bank of theTiber, was developed at the end of the first century BC,[2] allowing patrician families to construct luxurious private residences (Horti).[3] TheHorti Agrippinae villa-estate belonged toAgrippina the Elder and was inherited by her sonCaligula (r. 31–41 AD). He was a chariot-racing enthusiast and began construction of the circus which was completed byClaudius (r. 41-54 AD).
The privately ownedcircus andHorti were then inherited byNero who made the circus public so he could invite them to cheer him on.[4] He also used both of these to lodge Romans made homeless by the great fire of 64. The circus was used in 65 to carry out mass executions of the Christians accused as scapegoats of the fire itself.[5] Because of this the area beyond the Tiber north ofTrastevere was known as "Nero's meadows" until the end of the Middle Ages.[6]
The circus was also the site of St. Peter's martyrdom.
The circus was abandoned by the middle of the second century AD, when the area was partitioned and given in concession to private individuals for the construction of tombs in thenecropolis.
Old St. Peter's Basilica was erected by Constantine over the site using some of the existing structure of the Circus of Nero. The basilica was sited so that itsapse was centred on Peter's tomb (now beneath the high altar of the currentSt Peter's Basilica). Most of the ruins of the Circus survived until 1450, when they were finally destroyed (along with the Old St. Peter's Basilica) for the construction of the new St. Peter's Basilica.
The circus was the site of the first organized, state-sponsoredmartyrdoms of Christians in 65 AD. Tradition holds that two years later,Saint Peter and many other Christians shared their fate. The circumstances were described in detail byTacitus in a well-known passage of theAnnals (xv.44).
The site for crucifixions in the Circus would have been along thespina ("spine"), as suggested by the 2nd centuryActs of Peter describing the spot of his martyrdom asinter duas metas ("between the twometae or turning-posts", which would have been equidistant between the two ends of the circus). Theobelisk at the centre of this circus'sspina always remained standing, until it was re-erected inSaint Peter's Square in the 16th century by the architectDomenico Fontana. The obelisk was originally brought to Rome byCaligula.
TheVia Cornelia ran parallel with the north side of the Circus, and its course can be traced with precision, for pagan tombs have been discovered at various times along its edges. Sante Bartoli's memoirs record that whenAlexander VII was building the left wing ofBernini's colonnade and the lefthand fountain, a tomb was discovered with a bas-relief above the door representing a marriage-scene ("vi era un bellissimo bassorilievo di un matrimonio antico"). Others were soon found. The best discovery, that of pagan tombs exactly on the line of St Peter's tomb, was made in the presence of Grimaldi, 9 November 1616:
Media related toCircus of Nero (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Circus of Maxentius | Landmarks of Rome Circus of Nero | Succeeded by Colosseum |
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