Il segno del Circo sulle carte storiche

The paper deals with the cartographic representation of Circus Maximus through the centuries. The Circus has to be found in cartography illustrating the whole of Rome. A few maps and views are examined. The analysis starts from the 14th century miniatures and pen drawings intending to illustrate volumes and preserved in codes. In these older maps, the Circus shape is sometimes substituted just by the mentioning of the name or in another cases its location can be identified by other elements connoting the urban landscape of the area. The analysis continues dealing with larger format maps dedicated or requested by the Popes, starting from the one by Leonardo Bufalini in the 16th century. From this century onwards, as a result of variations in scale, many maps allow a more detailed documentation of the transformations undergone by the Circus. The analysis ends with the last cartographic document of Popes’ Reign, the Pius-Gregorianus cadaster.