Roman cities had a rectangular shape and were built around a grid system of parallel streets that intersected at right angles. The most important streets were the cardo maximus, which ran north-south, and the decumanus, which ran east-west. These two wide streets met at the center of the city, where the forum and markets were located. The forum was a large public square surrounded by temples, government buildings, and courts of law. Other common features of Roman cities included walls and gates for defense, baths, amphitheaters for entertainment, and circuses for chariot races.