In the center of the south curve stood a marble decorated triumphal arch, which granted a direct entrance into the arena. The masonry consisted of bricks and clad cement. With their sturdy construction, the arcades secured the grandstands above and provided space for the stairs and passageways. Up to 3 floors, the grandstands were once high. In 1936 AD, when excavating the well-preserved south-east curve of the Circus, it was discovered that the grandstand was based exclusively on arched substructures, also called arcades. The grandstands, as in the Great Coliseum, were build on multi-layer basis to accommodate more spectators and provide a better view. Other objects on “spina” served for practical purposes, including seven moving eggs and seven artificial dolphins for counting the seven laps of a race. On this spina were various objects and monuments, including a 24m large granite obelisk by Ramses II (obelisk was brought to Rome in 10 BC by the command of Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus). Through the middle of this arena was again a 344 m long brick strut (Spina) in the longitudinal side direction. Overall, the circus was 600 m long and 150 m wide, making the arena from above seen an oval shape. According to Pliny the Elder the Circus Maximus could accommodate 250,000 spectators and other sources says that it could fit up to 400.000 spectators, but these numbers are probably unrealistic.
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