The pyramid

This monument, imitating the Egyptian obelisk of the Circus Maximus, remains an iconic landmark for Vienna. Preserved over the centuries, it testifies to the presence of a Roman circus, which was notably used for chariot races in antiquity.

In the 2nd century, urban planners found the necessary space to build a circus (approximately 460 m long) in the plain that had been partially developed along the Rhône at the beginning through the use of embankment terraces.

In this impressive circus or hippodrome (a name that has retained its original meaning), the Pyramid formed the center of the axial platform, in Latin the spina (spine), around which the chariots (biges, triges, or quadriges) raced. The spina, slightly raised above the track, was adorned with small structures, basins, or fountains decorated with sculptures.

Before the true nature of the Pyramid, also called the Needle, was established, popular imagination had seized upon this monument. The most common version made it a funerary monument, sometimes dedicated to the founding hero of Vienne, sometimes to an emperor (Augustus or Alexander Severus), or even to Pontius Pilate, the prefect of Judea whom a medieval legendary cycle had die in exile in Vienne.

In the absence of an amphitheater (not yet recognized), one might wonder if this circus also hosted gladiatorial combats or other spectacles?