>>17253023This has a different meaning if you acknowledge that the catholic church and groups close to it were the same big nosed nobility of Rome and there is a lot of very accurate descriptions in those texts of symbolism used by the church:
https://www.vaticancitytours.it/blog/the-circus-of-nero/The Circus of Nero was a circus in which St. Peter’s Basilica stands today. All that remains of the arena, however, is the ancient Egyptian obelisk. Construction began in 40 AD by Emperor Caligula and completed by his successor Claudius. It was 90 metres wide and 161 metres long and used for horse racing with four-horse chariots by both Caligula and Nero. The circus was rectangular and had a racing track that was separated down the middle by a Spina or wall which stopped at both ends so that charioteers could turn. The Spina had intricate designs and statues and, in the centre, an ancient Egyptian obelisk. There were 6 circuses we know of in Ancient Rome and while they mostly used the track for chariot racing, other performances would take place there for an audience that would sit in an elevated area around the track. In the beginning, the circus was privately used but Emperor Nero made the circus public so he could show off his talents as a charioteer.
It’s also at this circus that 25 years after its construction in 65AD, persecutions of Christians began in this circus. The persecutions were brought on after the Great Fire of Rome in 64AD, and looking for a scapegoat, Nero blamed Christians and arrested them, executing them in mass killings in the circus. It was also the site of St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s martyrdom, executed under Nero’s ruling. The tomb of St. Peter now allegedly lies underneath the modern St. Peter’s Basilica in an unmarked cemetery.
