A Roman circus (from the Latin word that means "circle") was a large open-air venue used mainly for chariot races, although sometimes serving other purposes. It was similar to the ancient Greek hippodrome. Along with theatres and amphitheatres, circuses were one of the main entertainment venues at the time.
Similar buildings, called stadia were used for Greek-style athletics particularly in the eastern, Greek speaking, part of the empire, but these were typically smaller than circuses.
According to Edward Gibbon the Roman people, at the start of the 5th century AD:[1]
...still considered the Circus as their home, their temple, and the seat of the republic.
- ^ Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1776, Chapter 31 - Games and spectacles, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/gibbon/decline/files/volume1/chap31.htm#game