Chariot Racing Flashcards
What was the maximum capacity of the Circus Maximus?
385,000 people
It could become very cramped and hot there.
What was the Pulvinar?
An imperial box on the slopes of Palatine. This was a sacred area for those presiding over the games.
What was the spina?
A 344 metre long masonry rib, running down the centre of the Circus Maximus. This was decorated with statues, trophies and the septum ova.
What are the septum ova?
The seven movable eggs and seven dolphins that were used to count the seven laps of each race.
What were the metae?
The metae were the turning posts, in the form of large gilded bronze cones.
What were the carceres?
The carceres were the starting gates in the west - there were 12 in total. The gates would have sprung open, as a catapult would have jerked out the latches of the gates of each stall, enabling the gates to fly open. They were set in a curve so no one had an advantage.
How was the seating arranged?
The seating in the lowest tier was marble, and reserved for the rich. The second tier, made of wood, was for the average middle class. The third level was standing only and was where most slaves were.
What were the different types of races?
Races could involve 2 (bigae), 3 (trigae), 4 (quadrigae), 6 or 7 horses in the Circus Maximus, although quadrigae was the most common. Each race was 5 miles and took approximately 15 minutes. Each race was for an advertised sum of prize money.
What was the most common number of horses in a race?
Quadrigae (4 horses)
How big was the Circus Maximus?
Length of 600m, width 200m
What was the Latin word for ‘teams’, and what were the four most common teams?
Factiones: Albata, Russata, Veneta, Prassina
How were the teams organised?
All charioteers belonged to factiones, and each team had its own colour. There were normally four teams: Albata (white), Russata (red), Veneta(blue) and Prasina (green).
What did the Emperor do for the teams?
The factiones were sponsored by the Emperor; they bought horses, and provided training and medical expertise.
The emperors built stables for each team with a full staff of coaches, trainers, blacksmiths, vets and grooms.
What was the status of the charioteers and their horses?
The charioteers were mainly professional, drawn from the lower social classes, freedmen and slaves.
Although many charioteers may have started as slaves, those who were successful could buy their freedom using prize money.
The most successful were idolised by the public. Martial tells us about Scorpus, who won over 2000 races.
Star charioteers were called milarii.
Who was the most famous charioteer?
Diocles, who won the equivalent of £12 million in prize money.
