Ancient Rome’s entertainment complex open to public again
AFTER seven years of careful excavation and restoration, tourists can now explore the 2,800-year-old remains of the Circus Maximus, once the largest and most impressive monument of ancient Rome.
Visitors will be able to climb the worn marble steps which funnelled a quarter of a million Romans into the giant stadium, which hosted chariot races, public executions and imperial triumphs.
From today, they can wander through the brick-built remains of the shops, tavernas, betting shops and brothels that were built into the ground level of the monumental stadium, beneath the tiers of seating.
Most of the stadium that ringed the Circus Maximus was obliterated by fires and the plundering of its building materials, but a corner has survived and provides a snapshot of Roman life.
During the excavation archaeologists discovered artefacts including more than 1,000 bronze coins dating from the third century AD, fragments of gold bracelets and necklaces and the bottom of a glass goblet with gold tracery depicting a horse named Numitor, with a palm branch – the symbol of victory – clamped between its teeth.
Experts say there is much more to discover – including the original chariot racing course, now buried nearly 30ft underground, and possibly a giant drain of even earlier origins.