A modern recreation of chariot racing inChariot racing (: ἁρματοδρομία, harmatodromia,: circenses) was one of the most popular,. Was dangerous to both drivers and horses as they often suffered serious injury and even death, but these dangers added to the excitement and interest for spectators. Chariot races could be watched by women, who were banned from watching many other sports. In the Roman form of chariot racing, teams represented different groups of financial backers and sometimes competed for the services of particularly skilled drivers. As in modern sports like, spectators generally chose to support a single team, identifying themselves strongly with its fortunes, and violence sometimes broke out between rival factions.
![]()
Greek chariot races Chariot racing was a standard part of regular athletic competitions in Greece. The 4-horse chariot ( quadriga) was raced in the Olympic games of 680 BC. The 2-horse chariot ( biga) races were added in 408 BC. Regular horseback races were standard after 648 BC.
The rivalries were sometimes politicized, when teams became associated with competing social or religious ideas. This helps explain why and later took control of the teams and appointed many officials to oversee them.The sport faded in importance in the after the fall of Rome. It survived much longer in the Byzantine Empire, where the traditional Roman factions continued to play a prominent role for several centuries, gaining influence in political matters. Their rivalry culminated in the, which marked the gradual decline of the sport.
Contents.Early chariot racing It is unknown exactly when chariot racing began, but it may have been as old as themselves. It is known from artistic evidence on that the sport existed in the, but the first reference to a chariot race is one described in the by, at the funeral games of. The participants in this race were,.
The race, which was one lap around the stump of a tree, was won by Diomedes, who received a woman and a as his prize. A chariot race also was said to be the event that founded the; according to one legend, mentioned by, King challenged suitors for his daughter to a race, but was defeated by, who founded the Games in honour of his victory. Olympic Games.
Chariot racing on a from, ca. 510 BCIn the ancient Olympic Games, as well as the other Panhellenic Games, there were both four-horse ( tethrippon, Greek: τέθριππον) and two-horse ( synoris, Greek: συνωρὶς) chariot races, which were essentially the same aside from the number of horses. The chariot racing event was first added to the Olympics in 680 BC with the games expanding from a one-day to a two-day event to accommodate the new event (but was not, in reality, the founding event). The chariot race was not so prestigious as the foot race of 195 meters (, Greek: στάδιον), but it was more important than other equestrian events such as, which were dropped from the Olympic Games very early on.The races themselves were held in the, which held both chariot races and riding races. The single horse race was known as the 'keles' ( keles, Greek: κέλης).
The hippodrome was situated at the south-east corner of the sanctuary of, on the large flat area south of the stadium and ran almost parallel to the latter. Until recently, its exact location was unknown, since it is buried by several meters of sedimentary material from the. In 2008, however, Annie Muller and staff of the German Archeological Institute used radar to locate a large, rectangular structure similar to Pausanias's description., who visited Olympia in the second century AD, describes the monument as a large, elongated, flat space, approximately 780 meters long and 320 meters wide (four long and one stade four wide). The elongated racecourse was divided longitudinally into two tracks by a stone or wooden barrier, the embolon. All the horses or chariots ran on one track toward the east, then turned around the embolon and headed back west. Distances varied according to the event. The racecourse was surrounded by natural (to the north) and artificial (to the south and east) banks for the spectators; a special place was reserved for the judges on the west side of the north bank.
The, one of the most famous statues surviving fromThe race was begun by a procession into the hippodrome, while a herald announced the names of the drivers and owners. The tethrippon consisted of twelve laps around the hippodrome, with sharp turns around the posts at either end. Various mechanical devices were used, including the starting gates ( hyspleges, Greek: ὕσπληγγες; singular:, Greek: ὕσπληγξ) which were lowered to start the race.
According to Pausanias, these were invented by the architect Cleoitas, and staggered so that the chariots on the outside began the race earlier than those on the inside. The race did not begin properly until the final gate was opened, at which point each chariot would be more or less lined up alongside each other, although the ones that had started on the outside would have been traveling faster than the ones in the middle. Other mechanical devices known as the 'eagle' and the 'dolphin' were raised to signify that the race had begun, and were lowered as the race went on to signify the number of laps remaining. These were probably bronze carvings of those animals, set up on posts at the starting line.In most cases, the owner and the driver of the chariot were different persons. In 416 BC, the general had seven chariots in the race, and came in first, second, and fourth; obviously, he could not have been racing all seven chariots himself.
Also won an Olympic chariot race in an attempt to prove he was not a, although if he had driven the chariot himself he would likely have been considered even lower than a barbarian. The poet did praise the courage of Herodotes of Thebes, however, for driving his own chariot. This rule also meant that women could win the race through ownership, despite the fact that women were not allowed to participate in or even watch the Games. This happened rarely, but a notable example is the, daughter of, who won the chariot race twice. Chariot racing was a way for Greeks to demonstrate their prosperity at the games. The case of Alcibiades indicates also that chariot racing was an alternative route to public exposure and fame for the wealthy.The charioteer was usually either a family member of the owner of the chariot or, in most cases, a slave or a hired professional.
Driving a racing chariot required unusual strength, skill, and courage. Yet, we know the names of very few charioteers, and victory songs and statues regularly contrive to leave them out of account. Unlike the other Olympic events, charioteers did not perform, probably for safety reasons because of the dust kicked up by the horses and chariots, and the likelihood of bloody crashes. Racers wore a sleeved garment called a xystis. It fell to the ankles and was fastened high at the waist with a plain belt.
Two straps that crossed high at the upper back prevented the xystis from 'ballooning' during the race.The chariots themselves were modified war chariots, essentially wooden carts with two wheels and an open back, although chariots were by this time no longer used in battle. The charioteer's feet were held in place, but the cart rested on the axle, so the ride was bumpy. The most exciting part of the chariot race, at least for the spectators, was the turns at the ends of the hippodrome. These turns were very dangerous and often deadly. If a chariot had not already been knocked over by an opponent before the turn, it might be overturned or crushed (along with the horses and driver) by the other chariots as they went around the post.
Deliberately running into an opponent to cause him to crash was technically illegal, but nothing could be done about it (at Patroclus' funeral games, in fact causes to crash in this way, ) and crashes were likely to happen by accident anyway.Other festivals As a result of the rise of the Greek cities of the classic period, other great festivals emerged in, and the mainland providing the opportunity for athletes to gain fame and riches. Apart from the Olympics, the best respected were the in, the, the in Delphi, and the in, where the winner of the four-horse chariot race was given 140 of (much sought after and precious in ancient times). Prizes at other competitions included corn in, bronze shields in, and silver vessels in. Another form of chariot racing at the Panathenaic Games was known as the apobatai, in which the contestant wore armor and periodically leapt off a moving chariot and ran alongside it before leaping back on again. In these races, there was a second charioteer (a 'rein-holder') while the apobates jumped out; in the catalogues with the winners both the names of the apobates and of the rein-holder are mentioned. Images of this contest show warriors, armed with helmets and shields, perched on the back of their racing chariots.
Some scholars believe that the event preserved traditions of Homeric warfare. Roman era. The plan of theThe Romans probably borrowed chariot racing from the as well as the racing tracks, who themselves borrowed it from the Greeks, but the Romans were also influenced directly by the Greeks.
According to, chariot racing was used by Romulus just after he founded Rome in 753 BC as a way of distracting the men. Romulus sent out invitations to the neighbouring towns to celebrate the festival of the, which included both horse races and chariot races. Whilst the Sabines were enjoying the spectacle, Romulus and his men, who became wives of the Romans.
Chariot races were a part of several, and on these occasions were preceded by a parade that featured the charioteers, music, costumed dancers, and images of. While the entertainment value of chariot races tended to overshadow any sacred purpose, in the still saw them as a traditional 'pagan' practice, and advised not to participate. Depiction of a chariot race in the Roman eraIn, chariot races commonly took place in a. The main centre of chariot racing was the in the valley between and, which could seat 250,000 people. It was the earliest circus in the city of Rome.
The Circus supposedly dated to the city's earliest times, but rebuilt it around 50 BC to a length and width of about 650 metres (2,130 ft) and 125 metres (410 ft), respectively. One end of the track was more open than the other, as this was where the chariots lined up to begin the race. The Romans used a series of gates known as carceres, equivalent to the Greek hysplex. These were staggered like the hysplex, but in a slightly different manner since the center of Roman racing tracks also included medians (the spinae). The carceres took up the angled end of the track, where – before a race – the chariots were loaded behind spring-loaded gates. Typically, when the chariots were ready the emperor (or whoever was hosting the races, if outside of Rome) dropped a cloth known as a mappa, signalling the beginning of the race. The gates would spring open at the same time, allowing a fair start for all participants.
Chariot race of Cupids; ancient Roman sarcophagus in the. Archives, Goodyear Archival CollectionOnce the race had begun, the chariots could move in front of each other in an attempt to cause their opponents to crash into the spinae (singular spina).
On the top of the spinae stood small tables or frames supported on pillars, and also small pieces of marble in the shape of eggs or dolphins. The spina eventually became very elaborate, with statues and obelisks and other forms of art, but the addition of these multiple adornments had one unfortunate result: they obstructed the view of spectators on lower seats.
At either end of the spina was a, or turning point, consisting of large gilded columns. Spectacular crashes in which the chariot was destroyed and the charioteer and horses incapacitated were called naufragia, a word that also means 'shipwreck'. A charioteer of the White team; part of a of the third century AD, showing four leading charioteers from the different colors, all in their distinctive gearThe race itself was much like its Greek counterpart, although there were usually 24 races every day that, during the fourth century, took place on 66 days each year. However, a race consisted of only 7 laps (and later 5 laps, so that there could be even more races per day), instead of the 12 laps of the Greek race. The Roman style was also more money-oriented; racers were professionals and there was widespread betting among spectators. There were four-horse chariots ( ) and two-horse chariots ( bigae), but the four-horse races were more important.
In rare cases, if a driver wanted to show off his skill, he could use up to 10 horses, although this was extremely impractical.The technique and clothing of Roman charioteers differed significantly from those used by the Greeks. Roman drivers wrapped the reins round their waist, while the Greeks held the reins in their hands. Because of this, the Romans could not let go of the reins in a crash, so they would be dragged around the circus until they were killed or they freed themselves. In order to cut the reins and keep from being dragged in case of accident, they carried a falx, a curved knife. They also wore helmets and other protective gear.
In any given race, there might be a number of teams put up by each faction, who would cooperate to maximize their chances of victory by ganging up on opponents, forcing them out of the preferred inside track or making them lose concentration and expose themselves to accident and injury. Spectators could also play a part as there is evidence they threw lead 'curse' amulets studded with nails at teams opposing their favourite. A winner of a Roman chariot race, from the Red teamAnother important difference was that the charioteers themselves, the aurigae, were considered to be the winners, although they were usually also slaves (as in the Greek world). They received a wreath of laurel leaves, and probably some money; if they won enough races they could buy their freedom.
Drivers could become celebrities throughout the Empire simply by surviving, as the life expectancy of a charioteer was not very high. One such celebrity driver was, who won over 2000 races before being killed in a collision at the meta when he was about 27 years old. The most famous of all was who won 1,462 out of 4,257 races. When Diocles retired at the age of 42 after a 24-year career his winnings reportedly totalled 35,863,120 sesterces ($US 15 billion), making him the highest paid sports star in history. The horses, too, could become celebrities, but their life expectancy was also low.
The Romans kept detailed statistics of the names, breeds, and pedigrees of famous horses.Seats in the Circus were free for the poor, who by the time of the Empire had little else to do, as they were no longer involved in political or military affairs as they had been in the. The wealthy could pay for shaded seats where they had a better view, and they probably also spent much of their times betting on the races.
The circus was the only place where the emperor showed himself before a populace assembled in vast numbers, and where the latter could manifest their affection or anger. The imperial box, called the pulvinar in the Circus Maximus, was directly connected to the imperial palace. Chariot races in the Roman eraThe driver's clothing was color-coded in accordance with his faction, which would help distant spectators to keep track of the race's progress. According to, there were originally just two factions, White and Red, sacred to winter and summer respectively. As fully developed, there were four factions, the Red, White, Green, and Blue.
Each team could have up to three chariots each in a race. Members of the same team often collaborated with each other against the other teams, for example to force them to crash into the spina (a legal and encouraged tactic). Drivers could switch teams, much like athletes can be traded to different teams today.A rivalry between the Reds and Whites had developed by 77 BC, when during a funeral for a Red driver a supporter of the Reds threw himself on the driver's. No writer of that time, however, referred to these factions as official organizations, as they were to be described in later years.
Writing near the beginning of the third century, a commentator wrote that the Reds were dedicated to, the Whites to the, the Greens to or spring, and the Blues to the sky and sea or autumn. During his reign of 81–96 AD, the emperor created two new factions, the Purples and Golds, but these disappeared soon after he died.
The Blues and the Greens gradually became the most prestigious factions, supported by emperors and the populace alike. Records indicate that on numerous occasions, Blue against Green clashes would break out during the races. The surviving literature rarely mentions the Reds and Whites, although their continued activity is documented in inscriptions and in curse tablets. Byzantine era. The today, with the in the foreground and 's Obelisk on the rightLike many other aspects of the Roman world, chariot racing continued in the Byzantine Empire, although the did not keep as many records and statistics as the Romans did. In place of the detailed inscriptions of Roman racing statistics, several short in verse were composed celebrating some of the more famous Byzantine Charioteers. The six charioteers about whom these laudatory verses were written were Anastasius, Julianus of Tyre, Faustinus, his son, Constantinus, Uranius,.
Although Anastasius's single epigram reveals almost nothing about him, Porphyrius is much better known, having thirty-four known poems dedicated to him.(r. 306–337) preferred chariot racing to combat, which he considered a vestige of. However, the end of gladiatorial games in the Empire may have been more the result of the difficulty and expense that came with procuring gladiators to fight in the games, than the influence of Christianity in Byzantium. The Olympic Games were eventually ended by Emperor (r. 379–395) in 393, perhaps in a move to suppress paganism and promote Christianity, but chariot racing remained popular. The fact that chariot racing became linked to the imperial majesty meant that the did not prevent it, although gradually prominent Christian writers, such as Tertullian, began attacking the sport.
Despite the influence of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire, venationes, bloody wild-beast hunts, continued as a form of popular entertainment during the early days of the Empire as part of the extra entertainment that went along with chariot racing. Eventually, (r. 457–474) banned public entertainments on Sundays in 469, showing that the hunts did not have imperial support, and the venationes were banned completely by (r. 491–518) in 498. Anastasius was praised for this action by some sources, but their concern seems to be more for the danger the hunts could put humans in rather than for objections to the brutality or moral objections. There continued to be burnings and mutilations of humans who committed crimes or were enemies of the state in the hippodrome throughout the Byzantine Empire, as well as victory celebrations and imperial coronations.The chariot races were important in the Byzantine Empire, as in the Roman Empire, as a way to reinforce social class and political power, including the might of the Byzantine emperor, and were often put on for political or religious reasons.
![]()
In addition, chariot races were sometimes held in celebration of an emperor's birthday. An explicit parallel was drawn between the victorious charioteers and the victorious emperor. The factions addressed their victors by chanting 'Rejoice. Your Lords have conquered' while the charioteer took a victory lap, further indicating the parallel between the charioteer's victory and the emperor's victory. Indeed, reliefs of Porphyrius, the famous Byzantine charioteer, show him in a victor's pose being acclaimed by partisans, which is clearly modeled on the images on the base of 's. The races could also be used to symbolically make religious statements, such as when a charioteer, whose mother was named Mary, fell off his chariot and got back on and the crowd described it as 'The son of has fallen and risen again and is victorious.' The (really a Roman circus, not the open space that the original Greek hippodromes were) was connected to the emperor's palace and the Church of, allowing spectators to view the emperor as they had in Rome.
Citizens used their proximity to the emperor in the circuses and theatres to express public opinion, like their dissatisfaction with the Emperor's errant policy. It has been argued that the people became so powerful that the emperors had no choice but to grant them more legal rights. However, contrary to this traditional view, it appears, based on more recent historical research, that the Byzantine emperors treated the protests and petitions of their citizens in the circuses with greater contempt and were more dismissive of them than their Roman predecessors. 527–565), for instance, seems to have been dismissive of the Greens' petitions and to have never negotiated with them at all.There is not much evidence that the chariot races were subject to bribes or other forms of cheating in the Roman Empire. In the Byzantine Empire, there seems to have been more cheating; Justinian I's reformed legal code prohibits drivers from placing curses on their opponents, but otherwise there does not seem to have been any mechanical tampering or bribery. Wearing the colours of one's team became an important aspect of. A number of fragments of pottery show two or more chariots, obviously in the middle of a race.
Bennett asserts that this is a clear indication that chariot racing existed as a sport from as early as the thirteenth century BC. Chariot races are also depicted on late vases (, pp. 41–48).
Synoris succeeded tethrippon in 384 BC. Tethrippon was reintroduced in 268 BC (, p. 613). Little is known of the construction of hippodromes before the Roman period (, pp. 218–219). The returning athletes also gained various benefits in their native towns, like tax exemptions, free clothing and meals, and even prize money (, pp. 41–48). In Rome, chariot racing constituted one of the two types of public games, the ludi circenses. The other type, ludi scaenici, consisted chiefly of theatrical performances (, p. 248; ). There were many other circuses throughout the Roman Empire., another major circus, was built at the beginning of the fourth century BC outside Rome, near the.
There were major circuses at and, and built four circuses in. The Iliad,. Pindar. Olympian Odes. ^, pp. 41–48.
^, pp. 41–46. ^, p. 613., pp. 350, 420. Pausanias. Description of Greece., p. 420., p. 86. Pausanias. Description of Greece.,. Pindar.
Isthmian Odes,., p. 46., p. 172. One of them is Carrhotus who is praised by for keeping his chariot unscathed (. Unlike the majority of charioteers, Carrhotus was friend and brother-in-law of the man he drove for, Arcesilaus of Cyrene; so his success affirmed the success of the traditional aristocratic mode of organizing society (, Nigel Nicholson, 'Aristocratic Victory Memorials', p.
116. ^, p. 34., p. 416., p. 614., pp. 35–39., p. 40., p. 25., p. 189., p. 35., p. 185. ^, p. 383., pp. 177–178., p. 262.
![]()
^, pp. 141–142., p. 305., p. 306. ^, pp. 314–319., p. 215. ^, p. 348., p. 190., Hazel Dodge, 'Amusing the Masses: Buildings for Entertainment and Leisure in the Roman World', p. 237., p. 191., p. 304., pp. 224–225., p. 71., p. 375. ^, pp. 191–192., p. 144., p. 192.
^.,., p. 347., p. 209., p. 240., pp. 240–241., p. 241., p. 41. ^, p. 228. ( De Spectaculis, ) and called chariot racing an instrument of the Devil. Criticized those who rushed into the circus in order to 'feast their impure, adulterous gaze on shameful obscenities' (, p. 86).
Public spectacles were also attacked by (, pp. 217–218)., p. 172., p. 253., p. 79., p. 249., pp. 250–251., pp. 242–243., p. 161., p. 169., p. 539., p. 441., p. 16., p. 31., p. 131., p. 76., pp. 32–33., pp. 76–77., p. 133., p. 273., pp. 202–203. ^, p. 17., p. 215., p. 25., p. 219., p. 299., pp. 302–304., p. 308., p. 39., pp. 219–220., p. 252.Sources Primary sources.
Theophanes; Turtledove, Harry (1982). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Description of Greece, Book 6: Elis II. See original text in.
Isthmian Odes – Isthmian 1. See original text in. Pindar. Olympian Odes – Olympian 1. See original text in.
Pindar. Pythian Odes – Pythian 5. See original text in. Prokopios; Kaldellis, Anthony (2010). Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Incorporated. Thucydides.
History of the Peloponnesian War. Translated by – via. See original text in the.Secondary sources.
This was the main chariot track in Rome. And it would be the largest athletic stadium in the world today if it were still intact. 250,000 screaming Romans! Unfortunately the seats were all stripped out during the Middle Ages for building stone just like the seats in the Colosseum and other ancient Roman sites.
If you just want to look it's free but it looked like in the middle of the day there was an entry fee to get closer but I don't see any need for that. There is a metro stop right there and from that stop it's short walk to the ancient Baths of Caracalla which is a terrific site.
We walked there and also along a sidewalk that parallel the track. As others have mentioned, there isn't a lot to the Circus Maximus and much is left up to imagination. But.if you're in Rome anyways and have the time, then I really wouldn't see why you wouldn't take an hour to come wander and reflect a bit as to its place in history. An ancient Roman Chariot Track, it does add to the overall impression of the layout and life of ancient Rome.
I wouldn't put it on the 10. If you're hustling and have a full schedule it could certainly be skipped in favor of more impressive sites.but otherwise.you're in Rome, why not? It's not far from the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, etc.
Sites that you will most likely be seeing.I wouldn't sacrifice an hour of the Roman Forum to see it.but if I had an hour after visiting the Roman Forum, I'd take a stroll on over and wander around. They use Circus Maximus as a summer concert venue. David Gilmore from Pink Floyd was playing during our first visit to Rome in July 2016 and I took the family to go see him. I'm not sure if I used Rome as an excuse to see Gilmore.or Gilmore as an excuse to see Rome.but as a bit of a Floyd fan, Circus Maximus will certainly remain in my memories of our trip. With so many wonderful sites in Rome the city seems to have ignored the Circus Maximus. So much of the architecture had been 'robbed out' for stone over the centuries there is very little left to see.
Essentially the site is now just a large field. You can make out the race track for the chariot races but little more. Come on Rome.this is the site of Ben Hur.you could do so much more here. Access is easy (there is Metro station next door). The Colosseum is famous for being the site where the persecuted early Christians were executed.in reality this took place at the Circus Maximus.this could have been a place if pilgrimage if the Catholic church had played their cards right.
![]() Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2023
Categories |