The Circus
The circus is one of the most important buildings in the roman cities: all together with the theatre and anphitheatre constituted the leisure centre of the city. Aimed at
horse-racing and performances commemorating the great events of the Empire, some of them were even naval battles for which the compound was filled with water.
The circus is inspired by the greek stadiums and racetracks: it has an arena, which is the space where the races were organized and it is detached by a Spina, constituted by columns or other elements. All this was surrounded by a Cavea or maemiana where the spectators sat themselves, it has semicircular ends.
It seems clear that Córdoba, then capital of Andalusia and the seat of the imperial cult in the province, which had, among its buildings for entertainment, a circus. But of
course, that it seems more an assumption than a certainty, it will be supported with more data.
Has been kept a inscription of the end of the second century a.D. or the beginning of the III Century A.D. it was said that Iunius Paulinus, duoviro of the city and flamen of the province of Bética celebrated dramas, gladiator, and circus in town. Recently a mosaic found in the Convent of La Merced, the Diputation of Córdoba, a unique mosaic that, curiously, was decorated with a representation of a victorious charioteer. A common theme could be a mere coincidence, but it could be that the owner was a great fan of horse racing held in the circus in town.
Then in the Palace of Orive during 1992 and 1999 some rests were found. These rests belonged to the cavea north of the circus. So it was oriented towards north of the Temple of Claudius Marcellus Street. Historians speak even of an imperial cult building complex comprises two buildings, and that could take the place of
the Provincial Forum of the city.
Today we know that the building was in use from mid-century A.D. and mid-second century A.D., and is commonly accepted that the opening and consecration of the resulting complex was done in times of Domitian, when there is a new aqueduct, which was specifically responsible for supplying water to this sector of the city.
At the end of the II Century the circus was beginning its decadence but some inscriptions spoke about the plays that took place between the II and the III Centuries. This was suppose to historians who have built a second circus in town, causing the abandonment of the first, probably due to structural problems.
Text: J.A.S.C.
Traslated by Sara Moretti
Art, Culture and Tourism in Cordoba