Editing Circus Maximus (section)

== Modern status and uses ==
[[File:Circus-Maximus-June-1983.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins overlooking the Circus Maximus, seen from the Aventine (1983)]]
After the 6th century, the Circus fell into disuse and decay. The lower levels, ever prone to flooding, were gradually buried under waterlogged alluvial soil and accumulated debris, so that the original track is now buried six meters beneath the modern surface. In the 11th century, the Circus was "replaced by dwellings rented out by the congregation of Saint-Guy."<ref>Françoise Choay, (Trans. Lauren M. O'Connell), ''The Invention of the Historic Monument'', Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 20.</ref> In the 12th century, a watercourse was dug there to drain the soil, and by the 16th century the area was used as a [[market garden]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Partner|first=Peter|title=Renaissance Rome 1500–1559: A Portrait of a Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=An0HYF7hvP4C&pg=PA4|year=1976|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-03945-2|pages=4, 166}}</ref> During the renaissance, the site was one of many used as a convenient quarry for good quality building stone.<ref>Choay, ''The Invention of the Historic Monument'', p. 37</ref> Many of the Circus's standing structures survived these changes; in 1587, two obelisks were removed from the central barrier by [[Pope Sixtus V]], and one of these was re-sited at the [[Piazza del Popolo]].<ref name="auto3" /> In 1852, a gas works was built on the site by the Anglo-Italian Gas Society. It remained in situ until 1910 when it was relocated to the edge of Rome.{{sfn|Humphrey|1986|p=57}} Mid-19th century workings at the circus site uncovered the lower parts of a seating tier and outer portico. Since then, a series of excavations has exposed further sections of the seating, curved turn and central barrier but further exploration has been limited by the scale, depth and waterlogging of the site.<ref name="auto" />
[[File:FIFA world cup 2006 - Rome circus maximus flag.jpg|thumb|Italian [[2006 FIFA World Cup|World Cup 2006]] victory celebration at the site of the Circus]]The Circus site now functions as a large park area, open to the public and often used for concerts, meetings, and celebrations.
[[File:Circus Maximus today.jpg|thumb|Circus Maximus site, 2023]]