Circus of Maxentius

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Circus built as part of a funerary complex by the emperor Maxentius.

The Circus of Maxentius, built at the beginning of the fourth century near the Via Appia. It is the best preserved of all Roman circuses. It was 513 meters long and 91 meters wide, and held some 10,000 people. It was part of an imperial villa that was (probably) never used.

Bust of Maxentius. Museum Dresden (Germany). Photo Marco Prins. Its builder was the emperor Maxentius, who had usurped power in 306. One source to gain legitimity was his hold on the capital Rome, which he showed with an impressive building programme. However, he was not recognized by the other emperors, of which Galerius (in the east) and Constantine I the Great (in the west) were the most important. The latter defeated Maxentius in 312 near the Milvian bridge, north of Rome. It is possible that the circus was never used.

Model of the Circus of Maxentius. Museo nazionale della civiltà romana, Roma (Italy). Photo Jona Lendering. A model of the Circus of Maxentius at the Museo nazionale della civiltà romana, Rome. The obelisk in the center is not visible.

The northern wall of the Circus of Maxentius. Old amphoras were recycled in the structure.

The obelisk at the Piazza Navona, Roma (Italy). Photo Jona Lendering. The obelisk of the circus is now at the Piazza Navona, Rome. It is not a real Egyptian obelisk: it was made in 81 CE and erected as a monument to the emperor Domitian and may have been at the temple of Isis. Later, it was brought to the Circus of Maxentius, and in the seventeenth century returned to a place near its old site, where it now adorns Bernini's famous Fontana dei quattro fiumi.