| Summary : The buried remains of a Roman circus or chariot racing track situated to the south of Colchester town centre on the crest of a prominent ridge: this find is unique in Britain, and rare in northern Europe. Orientated east to west, the circus measures 448.2 metres in length and between 71.1 and 74.2 metres in width. It has been calculated that the circus had a seating capacity of around 8,000 - 15,000 with the starting gates thought to have been at the western end with the semi-circular end to the east. Due to the narrowness of the site, there may have only been 8 starting gates rather than the standard pattern of 12 gates. The stand or cavea was built of earth and retained by stone and timber walls with the stone used in its foundations being of greensand which was probably brought in from Kent. On the whole dating evidence from the circus is limited but based on the dated context of stone elsewhere in the area, the use of Kent greensand implies that it was built in the second century AD. The sheer scale of the building was so great that one interpretation is that that the emperor must have paid for its construction; although there may be a counter argument for piecemeal construction by local wealthy inhabitants.Hadrian's visit to Britain in AD122 is associated with a revival of public buildings in towns and it is thought that he may have been responsible for the construction of the circus at Colchester. A number of glass and pottery finds discovered at Colchester in the past depict images of chariot races. Given the discovery of the circus it is now thought that some of these may be souvenirs of actual events. New finds associated with the sport include a piece of horse furniture whilst a coin from a grave dated to the early first century AD features a four horse chariot and is a rare find in Britain. It is unclear when the circus went out of use but analysis suggests that it was probably levelled in the late Roman period. |
More information : The monument includes the buried remains of a Roman circus or chariot racing track. The monument is orientated east to west and is situated to the south of Colchester town centre on the crest of a prominent ridge.
The classic Roman circus is an elongated oval track flanked by cavea (tiers of seating) along two sides and around the curved end. A low barrier known as a spina runs down the centre to prevent collisions. Turning posts known as metae were placed at either end of the spina and at the open, non curved, end was a row of starting bays known as the carceras. Circuses were used originally for chariot racing and boxing but athletics and wrestling also became popular.
The Colchester circus is orientated east to west and measures 448.2 meters in length and between 71.1 and 74.2 meters in width. The area of protection also includes a ten metre buffer zone around the circus which is considered necessary for the support and preservation of the monument.
Three area excavations and a number of evaluation trenches have been investigated and all contribute to our understanding of the form and fabric of the circus. Most recent excavations (2007) by the Colchester Archaeological Trust have exposed a section of the spina at the junction between Napier Road and Circular Road North. All the evidence helps to illustrate and confirm the archaeological potential of the monument. It has been calculated that the circus had a seating capacity of around 8,000 - 15,000. The starting gates are thought to have been situated at the western end of the structure with the semi circular end to the east. The stand or cavea at Colchester varied between 5.8m and 6.0m in total width. It was built of earth but was retained by stone or timber walls, a similar method of construction to that found in theatres and amphitheatres in Britain and elsewhere. At Colchester it is thought the inner cavea was built of stone. The large exterior buttresses with parallel, less substantial walls 5m inside imply the outer cavea wall was of stone and has been estimated to be at least 2m in height. These may have supported blind arcading enhanced with pilasters much like examples on the continent. Finds from robber trenches certainly confirm the presence of Romanised decorative architecture such as tile coursing, opus signinum facing mortar (fine Roman concrete), and a piece each of column and incised marble facing (possibly Purbeck). The stone used in the foundations of the cavea is greensand which is rare elsewhere in Colchester probably because it had to be bought in from Kent. On the whole dating evidence from the circus is limited but based on the dated contexts of the stone elsewhere in the area the use of Kent greensand implies it was built in the second century AD. The sheer scale of the building was so great that it is believed that the emperor must have paid for its construction. Hadrian's visit to Britain in AD122 is associated with a revival of public buildings in towns and it is thought that he may have been responsible for the
construction of the circus at Colchester. A number of glass and pottery finds discovered in Colchester in the past depict images of chariot races. Given the discovery of the circus it is now thought that some of these may be souvenirs of actual events. New finds associated with the sport include a piece of horse furniture which was recovered from the robber trench of the inner wall. A coin from a grave dated to the early first century AD features a four horse chariot and rider and is a rare find in Britain. A silver coin found in a rare hoard dated to between 150BC and AD117 also depicts a four horse chariot. It is unclear when the circus came out of use but analysis suggests the circus was probably levelled in the late Roman period, whilst the footings were subsequently robbed in the medieval period.
ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE
The Colchester Roman Circus is a unique archaeological monument in Britain. It is the only place in the country where there is excavated and convincing evidence for a circus and is one of only six locations in the north west provinces of the Roman empire where circuses have been securely identified. The area excavations and numerous trenches investigated highlight the archaeological potential of the site and the scope for improving the knowledge and understanding of such buildings not only nationally but in an international context. The Roman circus must be considered in conjunction with other monumental buildings or structures surviving from Roman Colchester. It provides further evidence of the importance of Colchester as one of the principle urban centres of Roman Britain. (1)
Additional references. (2-4)
Report on the excavations since 2004. It appears that the cavea was raised piecemeal, which may indicate the economic conditions of the area in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Excavation of the meta yielded some remarkable evidence about the size and nature of the cones, the supply of pressurised water to the barrier, and the tactics adopted by the charioteeers as they swung around the metae. It was probably abandoned circa 275, or shortly thereafter. (5)
The update on the circus for 2006 in the "Colchester Archaeologist" includes a discussion of the east-west orientation of the building and on the nature of its piecemeal construction, possibly paid for by local wealthy inhabitants during the 2nd century. The evidence for this is mainly the differing styles of the buttresses, indicating that they had not all been built at once. The ruins of the building may have stood until circa 1100 AD. (6)
A further short article updating progress on the Roman circus at Colchester gives an overview of the excavation of the stand, the near turning post and of some of the starting gates. (7)
The 2008 update on the circus concentrated on a re-assessment of the layout of the starting gates. The narrowness of the Colchester circus made it unlikely that the standard Roman pattern of 12 gates was used; there are known expamples elsewhere in the empire that have 10 gates, and mosaic depictions (from Lyons) showing only 8. In 2007 further excavations at the north end of the starting gate area lead to the conclusion that the Colchester circus had only 8 gates. (8) |