... Circus Maximus was one of the biggest. The building was by the time of Emperor Augustus 620 metres long and 140 to 150 metres at its widest point. The fact that it was built in a valley stretching between two hills gives you an idea of its size. At first there were no buildings, just a rough sandy track with provisional markers. The viewers of the races had to sit on the hills on each side of the track. Eventually as popularity rose they developed it into a larger venue as can be seen today. It could seat approximately 150 000 viewers while modern racing venues can support up to 300 000 spectators. Roman circuses would have been very ornate, they would have statues and wall paintings which I would have loved to have seen. Modern stadiums are not as good-looking as Roman circuses and feel as if the person who ...

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