Colchester Roman Circus Open Day

Archaeologists working on a housing development at Colchester in Essex have unearthed what

they believe to be the first Roman chariot-racing circus to be found in Britain. Members of
Colchester Archaeological Trust were on hand to give an overview of the excavations which are
taking place on garrison land south of Abbey Field. It is likely the remains will be back-filled to
preserve them in situ, in order to retain the integrity of the walls and prevent any degradation.
Most likely visible sightlines will be established will be established to indicate where the
structure originally stood. A number of finds from the excavations and those of the adjacent
Roman cemeteries were on display at the open day. Over 8,000 visitors attended!

Time Team crew were also on site filming for a "Special" to be screened around May 2005.

The discovery was made 400m south of the Roman Town, and is some 70m wide and at least
350m long. The stones and banks have gone, but a circus was the largest entertainment building
in the Roman world and of a standard and well know design. The closest in size to the Colchester
circus is at Segunto in Spain, which is 354 x 73.4m .

The Colchester circus was found in three excavations:

Area C1, 350 square metres north of Napier Road, at the junction with Flagstaff Road. Gravel
metalled surface with wheel ruts (probably cart tracks), and a wall foundation, two large
buttresses and a much slighter foundation (all stone robbed out) parallel and 5m to south. There
were no partitions between the two walls, tile finds suggest coursing rather than a rood or heating
system.
Area C2, 0.3ha on the other side of Napier Road, at the junction with Circular Road East. Mirror
image of walls in area C1, with substantial buttresses on south side, 3-4 m apart, made of
Greensand and septaria (nodules from local London Clay deposits); a square stone by a buttress
may represent an arch. Nothing later than Roman has yet been found, so demolition an robbing
may have been late Roman in date.

Area J1, c 1ha along Circular Road South. Evaluation in 2002 and 2004 identified two Roman
wall lines 250m west of C2, on same alignment as paired walls there. Area excavation in October
2004 showed walls to be identical to those in C1 and C2, with buttresses 4m apart along entire
75m foundation length, and parallel shallow robbed out wall 5m to north; it seems certain they
ran east to connect with C2 walls. Medieval pottery (possibly 11th century) was found in the
robber trench. Roman finds include an iron stylus or writing equipment.

Why do they think these apparently elusive remains make such a strong case for a Roman circus?

First, the walls are clearly parts of a single construction, seen in the mirror image of C1 to J1/C2,
with large exterior buttresses and parallel less substantial walls 5m inside. The use of Kent
Greensand on each site is significant, since it is rare elsewhere in Roman Colchester. The
remains seem to represent the main circus structure, the ramped seats (cavea), facing across an
elongated staium-like space some 62.5m wide and 320m long, being the right length and
proportions. Critically, the buttressed wall in J1 curves at its extreme west end, matching the
apical stadium end found in all Roman Circuses.

An earth cavea rather than stone would be consistent with British amphitheatres and not least
two of its known theatres. There are a few theatres in Gaul of the same type, and more modest
circuses use an earth embankment for seating (eg in Luz, Portugal and Zafra, Spain).

Continental caveae are typically set on stone substructures, with a single inner wall, and short
walls radiating outwards - usually ending in pilasters - to form vaulted bays supporting tiers of
seats. At Colchester, whilst projections along the outer cavea may have been foundations for
buttresses to help support the outward thrust of the cavea mound, the may also have supported
blind arcading enhanced with pilasters; the circus would have looked much like continental
versions despite being built differently.

Finds from the robber trenches indicate Romanise decorative architecture, tile coursing, opus
signinum facing mortar (fine Roman concrete) and a piece each of column and incised marble
facing (possibly Purbeck)

Artefacts found in Colchester before showing chariot races now acquire a new significance:
some may have been souvenirs of actual events. A fine 2nd century pottery beaker shows four,
four horse chariots (quadrigae). A glass cup, along with four quadrigae and rider, has a text
celebrating Cresces victory over his three competitors. Another glass vessel shows a similar
scene.

New finds continue the theme. A fine piece of horse furniture came from the inner robbed wall
footing. A coin (a bronze Duponius of Caligula's rein , A37-41) features a four-horse chariot and
rider. Minted in Rome, this type is rare in Britain: was it kept as a reference to local racing? One
of 37 silver coins found in a rare, important hoard from area J1 (c 150BC-AD117) also depicts a
four-horse chariot: the hoard might have belonged to a citizen associated with the lucrative sport.

A substantial circus undoubtedly existed at Roman Colchester, where other monumental public
buildings were already known. It was likely built in the late 1st or 2nd centuries, but that awaits
confirmation. It makes sense that the coloniae, as the most Romanised inhabitants of British
towns , would indulge in games - like cricket in the British Empire - that originally consisted of
chariot racing (the Romans oldest and most popular sport) and boxing, with athletics and
wrestling added in the 2nd century BC.

The juxtaposition of cemetery and circus throws light on the perception of life and death. The
burial grounds would have been particularly animated with people travelling out of the town for
the games, the games participants must have been acutely aware of the risks they were taking.

The circus was probably still a standing ruin when St Johns Abbey was built c AD1100, perhaps
quarrying the remains. The precinct wall, which exhibits some odd bends in the south-west
corner, may have been influenced by elements of the surviving circus.

This discovery highlights the degree to which we have still fully to understand the Roman urban
legacy, and the role of monumental projects dedicated to games, even at towns like Colchester. It
also raises further questions of the social, cultural and political impact of Britain's first Roman
colonia and the status of the province in the wider Roman world

Information taken from handouts provided by RPS at the event

The Colchester Archaeological Trust have covered this dig in great detail in their 'The Colchester
Archaeologist' - Issue 18 of 2005.

The first chariot racing track to be discovered in Britain - online article from The Colchester
Archaeological Trust website

Roman Circus in Colchester - online webpage about the discovery and the open day