Rome: Apostles and Martyrs

8. Circus Flaminius

Roma, Lazio

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This was a smaller gravel floored circus, first used around 221BC. It contained a racing track that was central to some of the more obscure gaming events and horse races. The 12th century guide "Marvels of the City of Rome" lists this circus as the place where many Christians met their deaths. Contemporary illustrations show wooden benches upon which the excited crowd would sit in excited anticipation as the condemned Christians were ushered into the arena to face their dreaded fate. In 2 BC, the circus was flooded for a spectacle that involved the slaughter of 36 crocodiles, but by the 3rd century AD, it had fallen into disrepair and was little more than a piazza with an area where locals would play games. There is little left to even mark the circus' location, although it is known that the Theater Macellus was on its eastern side and the Portico Octavia sat on the northeastern corner. Photo credit: Ortygia