A Roman Circus in Corinth

During the 1967–1968 excavations of the Gymnasium area in Corinth, a long and narrow structure (the "Apsidal Building") was discovered. It is argued here that the structure represents the eastern meta and a portion of the spina of a circus, where chariot races were held. The circus appears to have been planned as an integral component of the Caesarian design of the city, constructed during the Augustan period, renovated in the late 1st century a.d., and refurbished as late as the 6th century. Furthermore, the circus was often the site of the equestrian contests of the Corinthian Caesarea festival and at times of the Panhellenic Isthmian Games.