Relating to a circus or circuses, or characteristic of entertainment, spectacle, and public games in ancient Rome.
From Latin circensis, derived from circus (a circular arena or building). In ancient Rome, circensian games referred to gladiatorial combat and chariot races held in amphitheaters like the Circus Maximus.
The Roman Circus Maximus could hold 250,000 people—that's larger than most modern stadiums—and the spectacles there were so important to politics that politicians literally competed with each other to put on better shows to win votes through entertainment.
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