Roman circus of Toledo

Roman Site in Toledo

Toledo Ruinas Del Circo Romano — CC BY-SA 3.0 / Antonio.velez

The Roman circus of Toledo is an Ancient Roman circus site of Hispania, located in present-day Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.
The circus at Toletum (Toledo) was built during the 1st century, during the mandate of the emperor Augustus or the emperor Tiberius. Possibly, its construction was included within the plan that the emperor undertook throughout the Empire to endow all the great cities with public buildings, like thermae, theaters, amphitheaters, or forums, with the aim of promoting the Romanization in these zones. In particular, the Roman circus was located in the north of the Roman city.

Given the size of the Circus, as it happened in almost all Hispanic-Roman cities, it was located on the outskirts of the walled enclosure. It is certain that from the city there was a causeway to the circus, which has not been found.

On the other hand, next to this was located another infrastructure dedicated to leisure: the Roman Theater, just where currently the sports facilities of the college located next to the Circus. The vestiges that came to the 20th century are recorded, although the use of the land for other purposes has prevented the value of the remains. Checking the difference between the level of the ground between the excavated remains of the circus and the surrounding plot, it is possible that under the subsoil part of the theater as the scene are preserved, part of the scenic front and the first stands. In addition, the location of sports facilities on that site (whose need to take advantage of part of the subsoil is zero), will have allowed its conservation in an acceptable situation.

The Roman circus of Toledo appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Toledo!

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