entertainments given in an arena in ancient Rome, as chariot races, various contests (often involving wild beasts) and gladiatorial combats. The arena, called a circus, was a large, usually oblong or oval, roofless enclosure, surrounded by tiers of seats rising one above the other for spectators. The chariot races of the Roman Circus were often scenes of riot and bloodshed between factions of charioteers, and the games were brutal and bloody. —Handbook for Preclears Glossary (app 9.7.90)