The Regio XI Circus Maximus is the eleventh regio of imperial

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, under

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

's administrative reform. Regio XI took its name from the

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian language, Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot racing, chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine Hill, Avent ...

, located in the valley between the

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.

and the Aventine hills.

Geographic extent and important features

Regio XI was dominated by the feature from which it derived its name, the

, Rome's largest venue for ''ludi'' (or public games) connected to Roman religious festivals. In extent, it was bordered by the

Capitoline Hill The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; ; ), between the Roman Forum, Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn (mythology), Saturn. The wo ...

to the north, the Palatine Hill to the east, the Aventine Hill to the south, and the Tiber River to the west. It also contained the areas of the ''

Velabrum The Velabrum () is the low valley in the city of Rome that connects the Forum with the Forum Boarium, and the Capitoline Hill with the western slope of the Palatine Hill. The outer boundaries of the area are not themselves clear. Roman etymologi ...

'', the ''

Vallis Murcia The ''Vallis Murcia'' was the Latin name of a valley in the city of Rome between the Palatine and the Aventine Hill, where the Circus Maximus was sited. It was historically significant as a communication route and a neutral place of assembly for e ...

'' and the ''

Forum Boarium The Forum Boarium (, ) was the cattle market or '' forum venalium'' of ancient Rome. It was located on a level piece of land near the Tiber between the Capitoline, the Palatine and Aventine hills. As the site of the original docks of Rome () ...

''. A measurement taken at the end of the 4th century recorded that the perimeter of the region was 11,500

Roman feet The units of measurement of ancient Rome were generally consistent and well documented. Length The basic unit of Roman linear measurement was the ''pes'' (plural: ''pedes'') or Roman foot. Investigation of its relation to the English foot goes ...

(approximately 3.4 km), making it the smallest of the Augustan regions. Arch of Janus

Apart from the Circus itself, the largest in the city of Rome, according to the 5th century ''Notitia'' this region contained temples dedicated to

the Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...

the Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It orbits around Earth at an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth's diameter). The Moon rotates, with a rotation period ( lunar day) that is synchronized to its orbital period ( lunar ...

, Cerces, Dīs Pater (the Roman god of the Underworld),

Magna Mater Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya, Kubeleya'' "Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian: ''Kuvava''; ''Kybélē'', ''Kybēbē'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible forerunner in the earliest ...

and Mercury. The main street in this region was the ''Clivus Publicus'' which led from the Circus to the Aventine where it encountered the ''

Porta Trigemina The Porta Trigemina was one of the main gates in the ancient 4th century BC Servian Wall of Rome, Italy. The gate no longer exists, but it is frequently mentioned by ancient authors as standing between the north end of the Aventine Hill and the T ...

''. Other features in Regio XI are the still intact

Arch of Janus The Arch of Janus is the only quadrifrons triumphal arch preserved in Rome. It was set up in the early 4th century AD at a crossroads at the northeastern limit of the Forum Boarium, close to the Velabrum, over the Cloaca Maxima drain that wen ...

, and the ''

Arcus Argentariorum The Arcus Argentariorum (Latin: ''Arch of the Money-Changers''; in Italian: ''Arco degli Argentari''), is an ancient Roman arch that was partly incorporated in the seventh century into the western wall of the church of San Giorgio al Velabro in ...

'', while no longer present is the Arch of Titus at the Circus Maximus. Within the ''Forum Boarium'' stood the

Great Altar of Hercules The Great Altar of Unconquered Hercules () stood in the Forum Boarium near the Tiber River in ancient Rome. It was the earliest cult location of Hercules in Rome, possibly originally dating as early as the 6th century . Its foundations possibly li ...

, the

Temple of Portunus The Temple of Portunus () is an ancient Roman temple in Rome, Italy. It was built beside the Forum Boarium, the Roman cattle market associated with Hercules, which was adjacent to Rome's oldest river port () and the oldest stone bridge across the ...

, and the

Temple of Hercules Victor The Temple of Hercules Victor () or Hercules Olivarius (Latin language, Latin for "Hercules the Olive Branch, Olive-Bearer") is a ancient Roman religion, Roman Roman temple, temple in Piazza Bocca della Verità, the former Forum Boarium, in Rome ...

. At the turn of the 5th century, the Regio contained 19 ''

aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...

e'' (shrines), 89 '' domūs'' (patrician houses), 16 ''

horrea A ''horreum'' (plural: ''horrea'') was a type of public warehouse used during the ancient Roman period. Although the Latin term is often used to refer to granaries. By the end of the imperial period, the city of Rome had nearly 300 ''horrea'' to s ...

'' (warehouses), 15 ''

balnea In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout ...

e'' (bath houses) and 20 ''loci'' (fountains).

Subdivisions

At the turn of the 5th century, the Regio was divided into 19 '' vici'' (districts) and 2,600 ''

insulae The Latin word (; : ) was used in Roman cities to mean either a city block in a city plan (i.e. a building area surrounded by four streets) or later a type of apartment building that occupied such a city block specifically in Rome and nearby ...

'' (blocks). It had two

curators A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

and was served by 48

Roman magistrate The Roman magistrates () were elected officials in ancient Rome. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate.Abbott, 8 His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgive ...

s.''Notitia'', REGIO XI CIRCVS MAXIMVS

Notes

References

* Platner, Samuel Ball, ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'', Oxford University Press (1929
(online version)
* Gregorovius, Ferdinand, ''History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages'', Vol. 1, (1894)

''Curiosum - Notitia''. 4th-century descriptions of the regions of Rome and their main buildings

from the original on 8 June 2019. {{Authority control Regions of Augustan Rome Subdivisions of Rome Topography of the ancient city of Rome